Comments on: PalmInfocenter LifeDrive and Pilot 1000 Giveaway

Only story entries posted here in this article will be considered. Please create a new comment for your story.

One entry per person in each drawing (you can enter both contests), replies are allowed but will not count towards the contest so please keep off-topic comments or discussions to a minimum in this article for the giveaway. Accidental duplicate posts will be removed.

Pilot 1000 entries belong here - http://www.palminfocenter.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=30465

Thanks and good luck.

My Dear Ol' Ex said she wanted an organizer. I looked around and bought two PALM IIIs for no particularly well-researched reason. She proceeded to keep her PALM III in her purse and I proceeded to keep my PALM III in my briefcase. Within a year we both got tired of replacing batteries in the unused PALM IIIs and retired them to a bookshelf in the home office.

Fairly recently, however, I pulled mine out, stuck a couple batteries in it, powered that sucker up, took one look at the horrendously unreadable no-contrast dark screen, and said:

== Gack!

then pulled the batteries out, put the device back up on the shelf, and went about my other business.

======

Those suckers cost something like $360 each at the time, I think.

Total nerd, I am. Since Junior High school I have carried around a pocket diary with assignments, classes, then when working part time, my schedule, etc.

Eventually, having survived college and law school using the same method, I discovered 'Day Timers' and was carrying around a fat looseleaf Daytimer with me...together with their pocket addressbook.

When my wife's cousin got married, the groom gave to the ushers a little Seiko 'phone card' which stored, I think 50 to 250 numbers and data. I started carrying that in addition to the Daytimer, and found myself referring to the Seiko first, then the Daytimer.

I then saw a Sharp Wizard OZ-6300 (I think) sitting at my Mom's house, asked her what she was doing with it, and she said she didn't have a clue. Within 2 weeks I was completely up on the Sharp, which I gradually upgraded to a 9800 (first backlit unit I ever owned, back in the early 90's).

I was frustrated, however, by the fact that I had to enter data twice, first on my PC and then on my Wizard. It didn't make sense to have 2 to-do lists, 2 contact lists, 2 datebooks.

In '98, I discovered the Palm III and it's been love since then.

Palm III --> Palm IIIx --> Palm Vx (Millenium Blue! I loved that unit...) --> m515 --> Tungsten T|2 --> Tungsten T|3.

Truth is, there isn't anything better than a T|3 right now IMHO, so I don't mind sharing --- but I also don't mind losing.... The 1000 would be cool, though. The Lifedrive is just a poorly designed iPod.

Harold

Ah, I must of been 11 when my Mom got an m500 from her work. I loved the device. I'd always be playing with it in the cradle while I was on the computer or when we were out at a resturant. Of course I wanted one so much. hehe. Then later that Christmas, my older brother got a Palm m100. So life went on... I played with some old simple organisers in the past. So the next Christmas when I was 12, I finally got what I've been asking for! A Palm m125 at $125 and a GameBoy Advance. The perfect combo for a mobile organiser and mobile gaming. This was the era that Palm OS 5 devices were just coming out and OS 4 was being faded out.

Oh I loved my m125. I used it throughout 8th and half of 9th grade. But tradgedy has occured. One faithful night, there was going to be a lunar eclipse. So I being me, went on my PC and downloaded all the astronomy Palm freeware I could find and jammed up the hotsync manager with some software. So it was nearing time for the eclipse and hotsync was still going. As soon as it finished I yanked off my m125 and started to run down the stairs. Oh that was a bad idea. :-( I ran down and suddenly I tripped a bit and my precios Palm flew into the air! In a split second I jumped leaning my arm out and hit it up back into the air like a beanbag. Though my attempt to keep it in the air gave me a bit more time, it went down and slammed into the wall on the ground floor knocking out the stylus, batteries, dictionary card, and flip cover. I hurry down to check the damages. Gahhh! The bottom right corner of the screen was cracked. I just sit there on the ground panicing in shock. WTF!?!? :'-( My eyes were watering of course just in shock. But I kept a positive attitude realising it wasn't too bad of a crack and didn't make it unusable. I showed my mom and she was like "oh well." My fault so I can accept that. I kept using the device for months later. Anyway, I did get to see that lunar eclipse.

The lesson of the story is, get a Palm device that does wireless hotsyncing and save some time :-)

Palm m125 > Palm Zire 71 > Tapwave Zodiac 1 > Palm Zire 72 > Sharp Zaurus SL-C1000
So long Palm OS.

10 year wow! I bought one of those Pilot 1000 at Staples 10 years ago and have been a Palm Devotee ever since. I have owned a 1000, 5000, III, IIIxe, IIIc, Vx, 515, T, T3 and a TX. If you remember the company TRG and their modules then your there with me.

I got a Pilot Professional soon after they came out. I eventually upgraded to a Palm III and then a Vx. Around that time, a friend of mine was interested in getting a Palm, and asked me to sell him my old one. So I did.

I missed it immediately, even though the Pro hadn't left my closet in years.

Eventually, the digitizer and screen went bad on the Pilot Pro, and he gave it back to me when he bought an m125. I took it apart, reseated the display ribbon, and everything was peachy.

Eventually, I even found an OS3/IR upgrade card on eBay, and even though I didn't use it, I upgraded my original handheld.

Every once in a while, I come across the Pilot Pro in the closet when I'm looking for something else, and I always stop and look at it for a minute. I remember how great a gadget it was when I got it. It immediately replaced my paper day-planner, and I was hooked.

Even though I've got an m515 now, and I'm keeping up with the new models, I can't help but think that things were better back then.

--
PalmPilot Pro (1997) -> III (1998) -> Vx (1999) -> m500 (2001) -> m515 (2002) -> ???

(Somewhat long story warning)

When I was in middle school I attended an after school computer class. During the course of this class the instructor obtained a few Handspring Edge organizers (the metalic blue to be specific) and I spent at least an hour and a half tinkering with it and learning Grafiti. A helper also came in and he had a Handspring Visor.

I eventually went out an got a cheapo $20 Royal organizer (which I still have, somewhere, up in the closet, amidst a bunch of other computer junk). This lasted me for a year.

Once I entered high school, my ROP Intro. to Telecommunications teacher had a m500 handheld and a "busted" Palm IIIc. The first day or two he showed off his m500 and asked the class if any knew how they could connect it to the Internet. He also showed us his "busted" IIIc.

A few weeks later I was looking at the IIIc and trying to figure out why it would not work. My friend (who didn't know much about it) figured that the screen was cracked because it was completely black (we both didn't know that it was a color device and color LCDs do this). I asked my teacher if I could have it (if I could fix it). He said sure and was happy for my enthusiasm.

I took the device home, but could not do anything with it because I had no charger. He eventually gave it to me (with the wrong charger, DOH!!) and I took it with me for the Thanksgiving '02 week to my grandparents (I had already ordered a new LCD I believe) and plugged it in. I began to charge (and did so). 3 hours later it powered on (no backlight, I acidentally busted it, ooops), but would charge no more (this is why you never apply a 12v 1.5amp or so current to your beloved Palm Handhelds).

Well, I eventually go a new battery, motherboard and screen (spent more then I needed to, all I had to try was a cradle reset...) and got it working. :) By Christams '03 I had gotten a Palm Tungsten T3. The T3 was my faithful companion for 3 years. Just last Christmas I received a TX from my parents (i still use the T3 and it still works just as good as it did 2 years ago, with a few minor scratchs).

All three of my devices (when being used) were always with me. Just like Linus's security blanket, I couldn't go anywhere without my Palm Handheld (yes, I never owned a palmOne handheld, just the good ol' Palm).

My Palm IIIc experience also jumpstarted my love for Palm programming (and that will be the basis of my business that I plan on starting soon).

Well, thats my story (sorry if it was somewhat long). Thanks for reading :)

-Donald Kirker

I first had a sharp organiser, and thought I was pretty special, I always had everyones phone numbers at hand, everyone would ask me for the phone numbers. Over-worked and tired I left my bag in my work van (locked inside a substation) overnight, of course this was the night some thieves broke into the substation, and into my work van, found my bag and hence my sharp organiser.
All of a sudden I am not so special and no longer can provide all the phone numbers. I needed to make up for this, and quickly. I filed an insurance claim, so together with that and some money of my own, I found a Davinci organiser in a Tandy store. WELL, do you think I was super special now. I could not only provide phone numbers, I had a graphical calander with appointments on it, I had photos (albeit mono coloured), calculator, memo applications, AND how novel, I could write on the screen. This was the start of a new relationship, and a new hobby. Then I saw a Palm 111xe, WOW, superior screen writing ability, memory (how could I ever fill all that), sharp fonts(ha ha) alarms, I had it all. Then came along the Palm Vx. Now this is a very sleek piece of kit, all of the above and sexy. What more could a recently developed 'gadget' man want. Colour did say, are you serious, I can now have my photo's coloured, my calander, some blue in my contacts. This is just all to much, the m505, oh yes this is surely gadget heaven.
Then of course came along the TUNGSTEN T, this is a real gadget it slides closed, WHAT?? Colour, sounds mic sexy and slides closed. I am now fully and totaly addicted to these PDA's. I am PDA man. T2 was the only logical next step, the day that baby arrived in Australia, I had one, more colours, faster, GET OUT OF HERE. Albeit a little dissapointment sunk in this time because I was starting to expect more than what Palm could supply. The Tungsten T3 was an absolute must, 320x480 of yeah full screen graphics, now this is what I had waited for a hoped for, for some time now. No doubt, even years later, the T3 was a superb machine. Then to my dissapointment Palm was really winding down its implementation of technology, to the point I had to have more, so I went to visit the dark side. Hewlett Packard HX4700, this is the best screen I have ever had to date in a PDA, I was showing off left right and center, photo's, video's, super sharp fonts. But where has all my memory gone, why does this crash all the time, why has microsoft and or HP not fixed these issues, whats all this double the button pressing to achieve the same. It didn't take me long to get my courage up to applogise to Palm for ever leaving, I got out that old T3 and could not believe how reliable and fast it was. So along came the Tx. WiFi in a Palm, oh yeah bring it on. Instant application launch. Yep I like this. It does lack a few features, but hey with a little guts and threads on the web, I soon had a microphone installed into that baby. PDA and creative MP3 player in my bag take up too much room, if only I could combine the two, with enough room for plenty of MP3's???????????

I fell in love with PDAs when I started using my father's Palm IIIxe. He would let me play with the device when we were on trips and I found it to be the best addition to ones life!

Now in my PDA lineup I own a Zodiac 2 with a PalmOne Wifi SDIO card. Now this little wifi card can do much more then just surf the web. I use it almost exclusivly to spot check my website and update it via Wifile Pro.

Also at the school I attend there is a very large wireless network that we the students are allowed to use. I quickly realized that I could set up a network printer over WiFile Pro and use Printboy to connect and print to it. In my Language Arts class I decided to type my in class essay. My teacher promptly told me ," Adam, you know i'm not going to let you print that in the computer lab." I then quickly pushed the wifi card into the top of my PDA and found my teacher's network printer. I set up all of the needed information in Print Boy and in a little less then two minutes I printed my assignment to his printer. He looked at me with this dumbfounded look as I gave him my assignment. For the record I recieved 40/40 on it ;-)

My favorite handheld story.
-Adam

The world will end in 2006. Just as it was predicted in the bible along with the release of Microsoft Longhorn.... :p

My first handheld device was the venerable Palm IIIxe. At the time, i was 13. I was nearing my Bar Mitzvah and seeing as my older brother had wasted $300 (ish) on a telescope around the time of his i decided to waste some money of my own. Seeing as i had been messing with (damaging, fixing, damaging further) computer equipment since i was around 6 i figured a handheld computer would be fun to mess with... and so i did some research (that is, about two weeks worth). Then i worked up the nerve to ask for it, as only a semi-obsessive teenage boy can. When i finally did ask for it, i was answered with a verdent No. Well, as any self-respecting child would i continued to ask for it (and nag about it) for about two more weeks during which time my bar-mitzvah came and went. Finally, after all was done (and my nagging and religious chanting basically destroyed my voice for a while) i was greeted one night with a small glossy box... what was in the box? the IIIxe. Needless to say, i spent the next 6 hours figuring out everything i could about it (and how to use it). This included but was not limited to actually reading the manual. Over the next year and 1/2 i would end up having to send my dear ol' IIIxe in for repairs twice (once because my brother broke it, and once because the replacement was defective). I eventually replaced it with a Zire71, but when i had it it was perhaps the most entertaining technological i'd ever had... and it was actually useful too (once i figured out how to remember how to use it without forgetting to do my homework).

Corey

I remember when I got my first Palm.

I bought it back in '97 when the Palm Professional with 1MB of memory came out. It was one of those things that I didn't realize I couldn't live without until I had it.

I was working at the library when someone turned it into the lost and found. I played with it for a couple minutes until the owner came searching for it, and while it was in my hands, I admit...I got hooked.

It was perfection in the palm of my hand, if you'll pardon the pun.

I had it for awhile, and got the 2MB upgrade, but that wasn't enough. I wanted more, and then the Palm IIIc entered my world. Originally, I was skeptical. Color? On the Palm? Why would I need that? Grayscale is fine. This is my datebook, my phone book, my grocery list. Why do I need color?

Foolish mortal asking a foolish question.

From the Palm IIIc to the M130. Nice, but not much of an upgrade.

Then the Tungsten series hit, and I waited until the T3 dropped. That was my handheld of choice, and still is until today.

It even helped me meet a lady who, although we're no longer together, still remains a wonderful friend and a big part of my life. My innate shyness would've kept me from talking to her, save for the fact that, knowing she was a geek same as I, would enjoy seeing it. We played with it (the Tungsten...ger yer minds out of the gutter, ya perverts), and we talked, we walked, we held hands...it was magical.

The Palm changed my life in so many ways. It truly is one of those devices that I can't live without...and with any luck, this will net me a Lifedrive.

One by one, the penguins are stealing my sanity.

After fooling around with various Casio and Sharp organizers, I finally got myself an m100 in the Spring of 2002. I didn't even know how to set the date! lol. Soon afterwards, though, I had that little guy loaded up to the gills with email and AvantGo, and suffered immediately from memory management problems...which would have been ok, if the digitiser didn't die fairly early on...I acquired an m105 shortly thereafter, so both problems were solved. Once my father-in-law saw me beaming something to a buddy's Vx, he ran out and got himself a Clie s360 and now has a TJ25.

I just had to try colour, so I bought a Visor Prism on eBay, which still works well to this day. Then I had to try a Treo, so I got a 180, which was quite an experience with the broken wire to the speaker, and the constant, terrifying feeling of hoping not to lose one's data with the weak battery and no sd backup!

So thankfully, the Treo 600 emerged, which is my present PDA, tweaked as much as I can, with TCPMP, Pocket Tunes, video and sound recorders, LauncherX, and rock solid quality and stability...even fixed it once after dropping and have replaced the cracked PalmOne case with a shiny new Handspring case. :)

In any case, my wife started using the Prism, which she liked, but found a little bulky, so she's moved to a Z22. Of course now she's starting to wonder that it would be nice to combine her phone and Palm, lol. So I just waved my Treo at her...

I first saw a Palm when working on the Gore campaign in Connecticut in March 2000. I saw two, actually. The two main ground operatives in the state, I forget their titles, had old-school Palms--a Palm III and a IIIx. I was completely blown away. I had been using a REX for a while (remember those?), which I thought was pretty cool, but it didn't compare at all with those grey/green screens! I wanted one, but, as a college student, certainly didn't have the funds to get one of those multi-hundred dollar toys. Fast forward to the Summer of 2000. I was interning at the White House (yeah, yeah, crack all the jokes you want--I've heard them all) and two people in the department I worked in had Palms (one had a ice blue Visor that he told me not to get because everyone thought it was a Game Boy). The other had a Palm III. At some point I expressed envy for a Palm to the woman who who had the Palm III. A few weeks later she called me into her office and told me that she had found a Palm III lying around her house that she figured had been left there after a cocktail party. The AAA batteries in it had died and when she emailed all of her guests, no one claimed it. So she offered it to me. I was completely overjoyed. Sure, it barely worked--every now and then I had to unscrew the back and realign the screen because it kept falling out of alignment--but I was the happiest little intern around. I mean, the thing had no value at all--PDAs that need weekly disassembly aren't exactly considered in working condition. But since a new one was so out of my price-range, it was perfect. And I've had one ever since (though I did eventually scrape together the funds to get one with no disassembly required!).

I was a Hindu monk living in an Ashram and I wandered into Staples to make some copies for the local Swami, and saw the first Pilot and went 'ah!' I had a Mac SE/30 so a Palm Pilot was fairly close in look and feel. I really wanted one! But I was a poor monk, begging for a living essentially, and it was impossible to even think of getting one.

I eventually left the temple and got a job testing software and guess what my first client was? Palm! So I tested Palms, fell in love wiith them, bought a Handspring Visor Deluxe and a bunch of modules and have been a Palm fan ever since.

--
It would be really cool to compare the two devices side by side. The only original Pilots I've seen have been damaged goods.

I was about nine years old when I discovered I loved handheld gadgets, My mother bought me a 10 dollar Sharp Organizer, which I found to love. I then bought many other organizers all ranging in price from 5-20 dollars. We didn't have much money, and I never knew there were color, blacklit, organizers. Nevertheless, I was at best buy when they were having a sale for dvd's, It was close to my birthday, I asked my mother How much we could spend, She said 150 for my whole birthday, nothing more. I showed her a Sony Clie PegSj22 and she said, "No, It's too much money, how about another sharp organizer?" I thought I was going to die, I remember lieing in my room crying and crying for ages, my grades fell, tremendously, for my birthday was about two weeks away. When my birthday came, I saw a shoe box, My mother told me that I would really like what was in there...The box was rather large, (my father has huge feet, I did not know this was one of his old shoeboxes from the past)..I looked and there was a cross necklace wrapped in all this tissue. I said thank you and loved that gift..I almost threw the box (not out of anger, just throwing it on the floor) and my mother said.."Hey There's a little something in there" I saw a case, with a hand on it, I did not know that was palm's logo, it might not have been, but it was that case's logo. She said "Here, this is for your sharp, and these are too (handing me box that had a cd in it, and it said "Palm os 4 games and applications" I told her.."Mom, thats really sweet, but I don't have a Palm" and there it was, she pulled out That box that said "Sony Clie Pegsj22, I used that thing All through middle school, Until I received a ppc that could do mp3's but I hated that..So I went back to my Sony..The battery still works to this date, there is hardly any blemishes at all...I currently use a Zire 72..

That's my palm story.

I picked up a computer magazine the day I was leaving for my honeymoon, something to read on the flight. Was back in 1997, at least I think it was (dont tell my wife). There was a small article about the PalmPilot Pro and how you could play games, interactive fiction, like Zork on it. I had never heard of such a thing as the PalmPilot and it really got me excited. We came back from the honey moon on a Sunday and after unpacking I went to the computer store to check them out and of course came back with one. Nine years later I still always have one with me. Holy cow, Ive been married 9 years!

Well mine is an easy one. It was given to me by my wife for a Birthday present;

the Palm Professional and I soon purchased the memory upgrade. Hated the screen but loved the device! So I was on my way to the palm world with the following device; I think I also purchased the Rom manager to allow me to place programs in upper memory; so the beat goes on

Palm Professional
Palm V
Palm 500
Palm 505
Palm was it the 515?

Left Palm OS for one year with the HP 1910 (good device)

Treo 600 in February 2003

Then I got the Palm Treo 650 in Nov of 2004

Still waiting for the Treo 700P (May 28, 2006)?

I remember walking into Radio Shack when the Palm first came out, and drooling over them. I wanted one so much I could taste it - it tasted like a nine-volt battery stuck to my tongue. In 1996 I was 33 years old. But, I was newly married and newly broke. My wife wouldn't have taken kindly to my blowing $300 on a little electronic gadget, and she would have had the rest of my family on her side! No one really understood...

It took until 2001 for me to get my hands on an about to be discontinued Handspring Visor Prism for that same $300 (plus $50 for the extended warranty.) I had saved up a few rebate checks and my dad pitched in the rest. It was glorious! Full color, and and expansion slot! My next purchase was a modem at Compusmart. I guess they didn't believe in that beautiful expansion slot, and I got it for a mere $25!

I turned out in the end that no one else believe in that expansion slot either. After three years, and an inordinate amount of mocking from family and friends (How original: pull out your pen and your left hand and say, "Let me write that on my palm!") my PDA, now a Zire 71, has slowly become a part of my life, and has earned its place in my family. My kids play on it, and it keeps them quiet in the car. My wife became so addicted to Sudoku, that the moment she said something about having addresses handy I bought her an M100 on eBay, just to get mine back!

I think I will still have to mumble about getting a new one, just to prepare them for the purchase. But this time, my daughter will get the M100 and my wife will graduate to color. Perhaps after years of subversive Palm usage and abuse from loved ones, I will be able to upgrade to a new model out in the open, and make everyone else smile too. But the biggest smile will be mine - because I was right: just try it, and you'll to love it. Hey! Get your hands off my new Palm....!

Gordon

From the Great White North
Kudzu62

Working one summer (dissertation), I had a bit of an impulse buy/birthday present to myself--found a Handspring Visor on sale. What a device. Very simple, especially by today's standards, but it did what it had to do, and did it so, so elegantly. Remember the first time you realized the true power of the simple Calendar application?

And then, to return to my story, within a week or two, my summer plans, which were going to be a little bit of side teaching for Princeton Review at three different campuses around the Bay Area, changed quite a bit: I ended up assisting in an eight-hour-per-day intensive Ancient Greek language course, some days on, some days off, still doing the Princeton Review appointments in the evenings--there is absolutely no way I would have known up from down without my Visor beeping at me, telling me where to go and what to take with me.

I still love that original Handspring device, as simple as it was. That's the point of a killer app, isn't it? Can't live without it. Now I've upgraded all the way to T3--still the best Palm ever made--and I've got wonderful wedding photos I can show people (only those who ask, don't worry!), great music for BART, even Ogg Theora movies on there. And I've got that beautiful Calendar still beeping (or, now, buzzing) at me and telling me where to go and what to take. Thanks, Palm.

I fept a Franklin Planner but I immediately saw the possibilities offered by the Palm. My Dad got one, a Palm 1000, and I was convinced very quickly that I needed one. But I waited until our company finally switched to MS Outlook which cleared the way for a solid synch option. By that time the "top of the line" was a Palm IIIx...I was fully committed to making the most of it. My boss and I were at odds about me using it in meetings, he was convinced I was playing games all the time...until I started to use it as a weapon to win "discussions" with our software vendor. Nothing like having the our contracts and design requirements all on one little device...fully searchable and ready to rock.

I think my first digital organizer that actually looks like an organizer was the Sharp OZ-9000. But my first PDA was the very first "PDA", the Newton MessagePad. I bought it in 1993 on the first or second day of release by driving 4 hours to NYC to buy it at J&R Music World, for $700.

Since then I've had multiple Palm's, Clie's, Pocket PC's, currently I use a Nokia 6630. It might seem low powered compared to modern PDA's or PDA phones, but I use it for everything. The past couple of weeks I've been looking at buying something new though, bigger screen, wi-fi, mmm...

That's right. I wanted an Everex "Palm PC" because I didn't think even a Palm III would meet my needs.

But the Everex couldn't sync with my Mac, so I got the III.

I have been Palm's ulcer ever since.

Fat chance of me snagging a free LifeDrive!

I did get that Everex. Off ebay for about $25. What a rip, even at that price!

Take your Pepto-Bismol now, Colligan.

And RETIRE that ludicrous Heatherbot that posts stupidity everywhere!

>kissing free Lifedrive goodbye<

I bought my first Palm Pilot 10 years ago when they first came out. I purchased it at Office Max and then went ahead and registered it. I was contacted shortly thereafter by Palm about being a beta tester. They stated, that I was the first person in LA County to register a device. I signed the NDA and started a long beta testing program.

They used to send out 128K memory cards, 256K memory cards and I think we got all the way up to 512K memory cards which later became the Palm 5000. Most communication was via email and the benefit to being a beta tester was that you got to purchase the new units for 50% of the normal retail. And you also had conversations with the folks at US Robotics that were part of the beta advisory team.

I've had nearly every Palm device from the Pilot to the Professional to the III, IIIc, V, Vx (also became a beta tester for Omnisky with that unit), Handspring Visors, Edge, Platinum, then back to Palm with an M505, M515, Tungsten T, T3, Zire 71, Treo 600, LifeDrive, T5, Treo 650. I also had a couple of Sony color OS4 units (655 and 665). I've also dabbled with various MS devices from CE to current editions.

Before Palm it was Sharp Zaurus. And before that it was a Daytimer. The main reason for using Palm is the flexibility of the Tasks (formerly ToDo Lists) and contacts; much better than paper.

I've also been a part of the Palm community at various forums and beta software sights. Agendus is the longest software that I've used on nearly all of my Palm devices.

It's been a fun 10 years and here's looking at you, Palm. :)

A Palm wannabe fanatic

I bought my first palm 6 years ago. I was on a business travel in the USA and the Vx had been released. I bought it, wonderful little toy. THe one i had was one of the first, i think - it does not have the little x next to the V.
Anyway, i bought it - with a full load of accessories - pens, screen protector, the leather custody. And it still works.

But now i own a Tungsten E - thinking about moving to a T|X. How do i use it? like a PDA. What i miss? A GPS/3G sleeve with phone functionlity.

The Vx is still always near - you never know.

----
Luca Botti
Palm User since 1999

background
hi, everyone i'm a long time reader, first time posting on palminfocenter. i've been posting on brighthand's forum for nearly 1 year now in both the TE and Z72.
now i got my first palm when i was in year 7, its was a tungsten E
with hi res screen and small form factor. the reason i got the palm is because my grades in high school keep on splipping due to the fact that i'm always forgetting to hand in assignments when they are due. paper planning or a diary would be no-go zone for me cause i consider it to be a nerdy thing to have. now i got the TE it is cool looking, plays music and video and organise my life. when i first got it my friend was so impressed with its ability to do anything (well somthing that fits in your pocket will do) and the bright colour screen that they all when out and got TE for thenself. last year i got myslef a new Z72 and havent looked back on it despite the low battery life and camera issue because its a multimedia device, its need to drain the juice. want somthing with low battery usage. i sugest getting a sharp organiser.
my TE is still going strong after 2years with the battery displaying 20% after 3 hours of music playback. i'll upgrade my palm when a ALP comes out.
also check out my blog
z-master.blogspot.com

I was stationed in Overton, Nevada just northeast of Las Vegas. In January of 1999 I had been on my mission for about 6 months. As missionaries we weren't allowed to have computers in our apartment which was kinda driving me crazy (because I'm a techo-geek sort of person). So one day we get a catalogue for Franklin-Covey planners in the mail and I noticed that they were selling a Franklin version of the Palm III. It cost more than a missionary usually has to spend but luckilly I has a bit of extra money that had been intended for a bike. I figured I could justify purchasing this distraction from missionary work because I could load the scriptures (the Bible AND the BoM) onto it. So I ordered it and spent that whole night playing the 4 or 5 games that came with it. Then I spent the next 18 months still playing games etc during my meetings and 'study' time.

About a year after my initial purchase I had been transferred to Las Vegas and I went to the Franklin Covey store and saw that they were selling an 8MB RAM card for the Palm III. So I bought it and loaded a whole bunch more games onto my Palm.

As I mentioned earlier I wasn't allowed to have a computer in my apartment, so I relied on the charity of local rogue Mormons to let me use their computers to HotSync and so forth. (yes I did lose all my data to a crash more than once because of being transferred away from the area where my info was synced)

Sometimes we had to attend the sunday church services for up to 3 congragations. My trusty Palm made those drawn out days much more bearable. (I did spend a fortune of my grocery money on AAA bateries though)

I used my Palm III (a lot) for nearly 5 years. In January of 2004 I got a Tungsten T3. I was blown away by the amazingness of it. I loaded tons of apps onto it and found ways to use it to replace many of my other devices. I now use it for: reading books, remote control, MP3 player, movie player, flashlight, mirror, calculator, dictionary, web portal, game boy, word processor, guitar tuner, Pascal compiler, alarm clock, organizer, notepad, reference library etc. I'm sure many of you have your own lists of uses. Lately I use it mostly as a way to read at night without having the light on, and for showing off pictures of my two daughters.

My two year old is addicted to 'Sketcher'. She asks my every day if she can "paint pictures on daddy's Palm?" She likes picking the colors. She also LOVES watching home movies of herself on the Palm. I usually keep about 10 to 15 movie clips on there for her to watch (with TCPMP of course).

Anyway, 'please pick me!' and all that crap. Thanks for the excuse to relive my Palm memories. I've enjoyed reading the other stories too.

Jarom Olsen

/Now palmified for over 6 years.

I had always been in love with small electronics. I too had a sharp organizer and even those casio calculator watches which I used religiously. When I was a younger I remember ogling my dad's apple newton and see how 'professional' he looked. As I became old enough, I got a job at an electronic retail store where I worked in the mobile electronics department. What a dream come true! It was then where I discovered handheld organizers. I was at first very torn between the old casio casseopeia 500 (WinMOB...what was I thinking?!) and the palm V. I opted for the palm V becuase of it's sleek design and pocket-ability. Immediately I was hooked. I bought myself the portable keyboard (remember the big silver one that folded up accordian like?) and I also got an aluminum case for it. Then a short time later, the palm Vx millenium blue edition came out...and I had to have it. So I picked one up and got a blue aluminum case to match. From then on, there has been no turning back. I anxiously awaited the M505 along with many other people on this very forum, and got the first one at my store. I held on to that one for a long time...until the T3 came out, which gave me my first taste of landscape. I went through 2 of those before finally moving up to a TX. Now I can pretty much do anything on that. I love it at school when I'm sitting somewhere using the wifi to check websites while typing a paper all while listening to mp3's and having everyone who walks by take a second look. I also love using my tomttom GPS while driving, or when Im away from a hot spot, downloading my email by pairing my palm to my razr. I love my palm and would most certainly be lost without it.

Computers don't make mistakes, people do.

First comment on this great site! I read this site through Plucker or online nearly everyday. Keep up the great work. I love the cantankerous banter of the comments and forums.

I am not new to Palms, but I an certainly not too adventurous. I still am using a M130. It is my first Palm and I am fairly happy with it. I am contemplating a new Palm and this drawing inspired me to get on board.

I was first turned on to Palm when it was still US Robotics. I (being the geek that I am) still have an ad I saved to drool over from way back. It just says 'Palm Pilot' and 'USRobotics' on the top. The date on the sample display says 'Apr 10, 97' I still hold this to be my 'first Palm' even though it was only in my dreams. The picture of the Palm 1000 brought me back to the day...

I bought my first actual Palm about 3 - 4 years ago. My basic Cassiopia had died due to weather exposure (in my pocket mind you) and I was lost without it. The M130 was the latest and greatest pda accepted at my work for syncing to the network. I convinced my wife (not easy) that I needed it for my new position at work (all true).

I am an extreme freeware junkie (which some may frown upon). I have scoured the Internet looking for apps. Some of them are in Japanese! Fun, but hard to read. Zlauncher has made my puny M130 a lot more useful.

I am also a tech news addict and using Plucker on my Palm has been a lifesaver. This site has opened my eyes to the bigger world of Palm and I look here for the latest Palm news. I get so much out of the articles, comments and forums. Thanks a ton.

'No! I'm not playing on my Palm! I'm reeea-ding.'

.....

Well, I'm not sure what the point of a Palm 1000 would be; to hang on the wall? A life drive would be interesting, but we'll see

My first a color Prism!

My first Palm was a Zire. I was so thrileld to see its ease of use with a Mac and installed PCam and PCine on it. Soon I wante to instal more apps on it. But it onlyhad a memory of 2MB. So I decided to upgrade, but I also wanted to integrate it with a camera. The Treo 600 was the only option available at teh time and it didnt support EDGE. I waited for the Treo 650 releasem but in India, its so damn expensive, I can buy an entry level laptop at that price. So i have been waiting for a secoind Palm device that can offer me all that I want.
Meanwhile I gopt myself a Kyocera 7135. Unfortunately it runs on a CDMA network, and I prefer to have GSM so I am not dependent on the Cellular Service provider for newer handsets!
Maybe I will pick up the Palm Treo 700p!

2000: I returned from a service mission to St. Petersburg Russia. While there, I handled hundreds of contacts with a traditional paper contact book. Once I returned I looked for something that might make managing all of those contacts easier in the future. I purchased my first Palm, a Palm III, from a Franklin Covey retailer. I soon discovered that there are great applications for the Palm and not enough space on the Palm III, so I upgraded to the Palm IIIxe.

2002: My Palm started behaving strangely (losing data) so I upgraded to the Tungsten E. I really loved this palm. It was sleek and fast compared to the Palm IIIxe.

2003: I became very interested in the idea of a convergent device, so I sold my Tungsten E to my friend and bought a Treo 600. I loved having everything in the same place but hated the screen (160x160) and the reception with AT&T.

2003: Couldn’t tolerate the Treo 600 so I returned it to Amazon, canceled with AT&T, and purchased the Tungsten C. I had always wanted a thumb keyboard. I found the construction on the Tungsten C to be very poor (stylus kept coming out) and there was no backlight for the keys so I quickly returned the Tungsten C.

2003: After returning the Tungsten C, I purchased the Tungsten T3. I really loved this handheld. It was what I had been looking for. It was sturdy, stylish and small. While small, it also had a huge high resolution screen.

2004: My Tungsten T3 served me well but developed a very annoying high pitch whine. I started looking for a good replacement for what I considered my dying T3. I saw the T5 come out with mixed reviews. I was disappointed so I held off upgrading. Eventually, I determined that Palm wasn’t going to release a new PDA for a while so gave my T3 to my brother and broke down and got the T5. I had mixed feelings about the T5 it was definitely a temporary replacement for me. I really did like the drive feature though, and having all that memory was great.

2005: The Life Drive came out and I was very excited. I read in the reviews that there were some speed issues when switching between applications. I decided to hold on to my T5 and try the Life Drive out. If I liked it, I would sell my T5. At first I really loved the Life Drive. The design was beautiful to me. I didn’t mind that it was a little big. It felt so solid and still looked sleek. The lag issues however were very real. In addition, it reset a lot. The killer for me was MP3 playback. The songs paused every time the hard drive was accessed. I grudgingly decided to part with my life drive. (Returned to Amazon)

2005: When the Palm TX came out, I decided to sell my T5 and get the TX. The WiFi was appealing to me. I had used it a little on my Tungsten C and liked it. The TX was really a disappointment. The design looks good but feels cheap. The power button is hard to press sometimes, and applications that had worked on my T5 didn’t work on my TX (supermemo).

2006: I started to look around again and even considered trying a Windows Mobile device. I had used my dad’s pocket PC before and hated it, but I heard they had improved the operating system a lot. I began to notice that the only device not routinely bashed on Palm Infocenter was the Treo 650. In fact, some of the big critics even seemed to be satisfied. So, the first week in January I bought a new Treo 650 and began service with Cingular. Over the past 2 and a half months I have been very pleased. The screen is really great (320x320), the reception and audio quality has been great (sometimes a little quite, but they have apps to fix that), all of my information is in one place, one-handed navigation is a real joy, and all of the applications that I use work perfectly (about 10 add on apps). My only gripe is that they didn’t include more memory. That is my story. I love Palm and hope they continue to innovate with their smartphone line. I think the standard PDA line is suffering, but I have heard that the updates to the Life Drive have made it quite usable.

palm vx--my old friend's old friend be my friend now

a friend of mine give it to me when he leave,there's a only one photo which includ both of us--a white photo in it,he said it was his best good friend except me,now it is the only link to our old memory, my best old friend just like his owner.

I got my first Palm, when my father brought a new Palm V from work and he had no use for his old Palm III anymore. Ha gave it to me as he was totally amazed by Palms at that time.

I must admit that I hated it, first. I didn't saw a reason why I would need such an organizer. At that time I was a university student and my life hadn't to be very organized... But as I got more and more involved into research my life had to be more and more organized. And I slowly felt in love with my Palm III. In the beginning I mostly used the calendar and contacts apps, but after a while more other applications - I rememer a great Yahtzee game - were installed on my Palm and I even conencted to the internet with my mobile phone - quite expensive at that time.

So I wanted more and I got myself a Tungsten C, as my university had WLAN and it was nice to have internet access all around the campus. With the help of a ssh client - TuSSH - I was able to connect to our computer lab. As a computer scientist I began to write small apps (e.g. a dialer for my AirPort basestation at home), I got a GPS for car navigation and I was quite happy. The only thing I was missing were stereo headphones.

Meanwhile I have left university and I work at a research lab. As I travell a lot, I got a Treo 650 and I am really happy. Finally I have a mobile, which I don't forget somewhere. I have internet access everywhere, my contacts and my calendar is available, I can listen to music in stereo and last but not least it works very well with my PowerBook.

Unfortunately my father has switched to Windows Mobile (no, not to a Treo 700w), as he has a new job and they use Windows Mobile there...

Got my 1st Palm in 01 or 02 - a Handspring Visor Deluxe after a friend of mine got himself the M130. Soon his Palm had led me to get me a M100, then a few weeks later I bought a M105. Then I bought me a Vx - I was hooked, if it wasn't for the MDS! After that I got me a M505 for my birthday in 03 - my 1st colour Palm! But the downside of buying yourself a birthday gift - you might get something better! In my case - a Tungsten T! Now this was great! I had all my notes (I'm an aspiring writer) and my scripts, as well as Olive Tree's BibleReader with the Afrikaans Bible on there... And finally last year, I got a great deal on a T5... I also have a Treo650, but just use the phone and sms functions - I like writing on my T5!!!

Groete/Greetings

Christo van Wyk

My first PDA was the Treo 270, in 2004. I had always resisted getting a mobile phone, hating the idea of being always on call. Eventually, social pressure - like missing out on parties ("Didn't you get the txt? Oh, right...") - became too much and I caved in.

But I still wanted to raise a big finger to the whole "oh-wow-it's-so-tiny-and-plays-kewl-ringtones-of-50-cent" craze. I'd always wanted a Palm, and remembered how much I liked the look of Handspring's Treo 270 when I'd first seen it on the net a few years before. Plugging Treo into ebay, I was aghast at the prices of $400 and upward, and even more for the Treo 600. Then I saw one that was broken - going for 100 bucks. The owner reported that it "didn't power up when connected".

I figured that even with the cost of repair, it would still be cheaper to buy this one and get it fixed than buying one of the more expensive working ones. So I bid in and wound up getting it for $130. When it arrived a few days later, I decided to test it anyway, and plugged in the A/C power cord... and it powered up perfectly!

I still don't know how the ebay seller hadn't been able to accomplish this - I figure he must have been plugging in the USB cable instead and not realising he needed to use the A/C plug. Either way, I lucked out and got a very cheap PDA/phone.

I wasn't so lucky with my 650, a year later, when the backlight died on the 270. I miss my $1000...

This sig is a placeholder till I come up with something good

My story is very simple, nothing special about it except the protagonist, my old Palm IIIx.
In 1999, my family decided to buy me a present for high marks I had in my last-but-one high school year. At that time, I had no particular desire, even if I have always been keen on computers. So I say I didn't want anything, but they insisted. This 'negotiation' went on for many weeks that summer, and was becoming nearly embarrassing for me.
Then, in the desperation to find anything that could turn up to be good choice, I remembered an article I had read some months before on a computer magazine about Palm handhelds. That article hit my curiosity especially because of Graffiti: at that time I thought that real-time handwriting recognition was science fiction. So I searched some more about Palm handhelds and had the sensation that it could really be useful to me. I had tried an electronic databank before, but they were so clumsy that after a short time I abandoned them. Palm handhelds seemed different, and were apparently able to free me from the task to copy my address book in each new year's calendar (I have always been thinking that it was a waste of time and that technology help).
I told my family with a sense of shame, because I realized they were quite costly. At that time in Italy Palm handhelds were almost utterly unknown in shops and online, and we found just one Italian Internet store that sold Palm models. But my parents agreed (I found something at last!). We had to choose the model: we preferred Palm IIIx over Palm V because of larger memory.
So I had a Palm IIIx and got more and more involved with it. I started copying my address book to learn Graffiti (it really worked! Amazing...) and then I discovered many programs that enabled me to do useful things (read ebooks, manage lists and simple databases, record appointments) and have fun too. My enthusiasm never wore off and my family was surprised to find this little thing useful in so many ways.
In 2002 I switched to a Tungsten T (huge Christmas gift), started to learn programming for the Palm platform and felt even more involved. I produced two little freeware games, 100 Boxes and SolPok (formerly known as Solitaire Poker) that made me, my family and friends share a lot of fun. I also appreciate very much all the email messages people send me with comments and excellent suggestions.
Now I am happy with my new Palm TX, that has more memory than I can use and the WiFi connection. I can surf the Web and access my PC from anywhere in my house (thanks to JWakeME, a Wake On LAN MIDlet I wrote, and to formidable PalmVNC). It may seem stupid, but it is really precious for me.
Perhaps I wrote too much here, but a Palm handheld remind me memories of people I love and things I have done. A tool for the present and a piece of my past at the same time. I gave my Tungsten T to my best friend, while my old Palm IIIx still lies in my drawer in perfect conditions: a pair of AAA batteries will make it revive any time.

Just my $.02 worth.

I'm sure all these stories are many, varied and interesting, given that many people regularly read PalmInfoCenter. My own story is simple, given that I got it from my father.

It was in 2001(?, just before T|T release). I had done very well academically in the years before, and I had heard of a Palm, since 1998(?). I remember seeing Palm III and V variants in a shopping centre in Singapore, where I live, and I asked for one. After waiting for a while, the m500 came up on offer, for like SGD150 if we bought a printer. So coincidentally, my printer had just failed. Out of warranty (it was like 3 years old). So, my father bought it. During the first two years, he pretty much used it. In 2004, I started actually using it for like taking notes and basic PIM. In October, I saw the T5 and fell in love. In 2005, my m500 entered mainstream use for my studies, like taking notes and such. On my birthday this year, my father bought a LifeDrive from his friend for me, second hand. Right now, the only problem I'm facing with it is that I'm using the Slim Leather Case for LifeDrive, and the raised logo thingy caused my screen to crack. Palm Singapore is insisting that I foot the OOW (out of warranty) bill as my poor LifeDrive screen is not covered.

Any opinions?

I bought my first Palm (a 1000) on ebay, which was the first thing I ever bought on ebay. In the excitement of things I ended up paying way too much for it. To add insult to injury I ended up dropping within a few weeks, forcing a upgrade to the next version of Pilot (the 2000? don't recall). Since then I owned several versions of PalmOS computers including the IIIx, Prism and Sony CLIE. I "upgraded" to most of them after I broke the Palm that I had at the time, keeping each model for a year or two. Currently I have a T3 which I have managed to own longer than any other Palm (and did have to replace a broken screen). I'm looking to upgrade to a TX sometime in the future mainly for the WiFi capabilities, but a LifeDrive would do quite nice too!

http://homepage.mac.com/gregjsmith

How I got into mobile computing was with the pilot1000. As the name suggests (no i did not register this name for the contest, i have been a user for years). My Dad bought a Pilot1000 when I was in Middle School and it was too complex for him. He couldn't get it to work and I was INSTANTLY drawn to it! He gave it to me and it was like a technological calling was born. I have used a palm device eversince. I remember waiting for the pilot1000/5000 pager card to come out that had a memory upgrade to 250k or so. I got that and upgraded my device. I really enjoyed working with them. I then upgraded to a palm iii, 7x and then I went to Clie ux50.

My fondest memory of the Pilot1000 was how industractable it was and how it still works today. I remember one day in Gym clas I had it in my pocket and i went up to spike the ball in volleyball and hte pilot 1000 went down to the floor. The memory door, memory card, batteries and battery door all flew out. I quickly put it back together and not only was nothing broken but no data was lost.

As you can see my current PDA is aged and i could use an upgrade! Thanks for a great contest

COMMUNICATION! That's what hit me with my first PDA, a Newton 110. It came with an AOL client, which I used to keep in touch with my friends, and with my boss while on business trips. The next step was the Palm IIIc with a modem. It did the trick, and I was able to use my own ISP. Now, with my E2, I go to a number of places, including the local "bread" store and use my wireless card to do my e-mail, and to surf the web. The E2 is the perfect form factor for me! At work, I synch my documents and spreadsheets so that I can work on them when I have time. I'm also having fun playing one of the many video's for my friends.

OMEGON

In 2000, I started working at my first real job after high school and I used my first real paycheck to pick up a Palm m100 just after they'd been released. I was hooked and soon filled the poor things meager 2MB of memory and upgraded to 8MB. After that I switched to the Sony Clie line for a few revisions, 710c, NR70/V, NX70/v, and I'm now back with alm and using a T5 I picked up in August last year, I absolutely love the Drive Mode / Internal Card that lets me store maps, music, etc locally while also letting my swap out SD cards from digital cameras and cell phones.

I’m a research engineer at a major chemical company. Our company switched to using Microsoft Outlook in 1995, but was still only providing Franklin Day Planners to the employees. Needless to say I found it very frustrating to continually keep the two of them in synchronization. In the Day Planner course they teach you to only keep one calendar and they were right. I spend a lot of time keeping things in sync and I was always making errors. When the Pilots were released I decided that it was the ideal solution to my problem. It was smaller than my Day Planner, would store everything my Day Planner did and it gave me audible alarms. I purchased a USRobotics Pilot 5000 with my own money to use at work. A year or two later the company decided they weren’t evil and officially allowed people to use them.

Since then, I’ve upgraded my 5000 first with the 1MB memory module, and then with the 2MB Palm III memory module. That is what I use today, a Pilot5000 with 2MB and the Palm III OS. Although like pretty much everyone, the plastic tab around the stylus port is broken. I gave up screen protectors about five years ago and haven’t had any problems. It still does what I bought it for, holding my calendar, contact list, and static information in Memos & Secret!. It’s my calculator (RPN), drawing pad (DiddleBug), and note pad. The addition of AvantGo and then Plucker is the only reason I got the upgrades, otherwise I’d probably be still using it in the original 512K size.

Hi all

My story is simple for all of you but living in Spain makes it all a little bit different :)

My first Palm was the Professional upgraded to 1 Mb... I still have it ... I still love it.

And the one I use is a 3com V (it was a Vx, but so new that the "Vx" sign was in the back of the pda).

I bought it in Canada when the "3Com Vx" was not able to export outside America... it sounds like a joke , isn´t it ? :P

I still use it everyday!

cheers from Spain!

My interest really became obsession with the Treo 600. It was so good - but just not quite right - and I couldn't bear it.

I started with an m105 which was great - but having numbers in my phone and palm annoyed me. Then I got the Treo270 - an OK palm and a terrible phone!

When the Treo 600 came along, I was so excited it wasn't decent. It was released first in the UK and I had it on day 3.

I loved it - but hated that the volume keys on the side were useless compared to my old rocker switch, and also that the LED kept flashing at night.

Eventually I decided to learn to program so I could fix it. That's when the obsession began...

Love, Frustration, and the Joy of an open operating system!

There once was a rabbi named Zach
Who needed to get things on track,
His Palm III was so nifty
And now it's the 650
And he never wants a "Berry" that's black!

My PDA usage started in University where I commuted a good 1.5 hours to get to campus. I knew I had to pass the time somehow and studying just wasn't preferred =). So the geeky self used that as an excuse to finally plop down a good 400+ CAD on a brand new handspring visor (white).

I took that thing *everywhere* with me. It went from a commuting time waster to game machine and eventually made it as a bathroom buddy (*you* know what i mean...).

I maxed out the ram on that little thing to the point where I was trimming down avantgo channels to gain a few scant kilobytes.

Let's not omit the fact that it was also an amazing organizer.

But for some reason i have NO idea where that PDA is. I moved from the visor to the visor edge, m505, TT, h1910, h1945, h4150, and I can tell you exactly what I did with each of these when I "retired" them... but the strangest thing is, the fate of the original visor escapes me.

Could it be that I held my "first" pda in such high regard that I won't allow myself to think it's broken or lying in a pile of junk? Did I pass it onto a relative? I *really* can't remember!

Hmm...

I've walking with Palm about 5 years ago, on earlier 2001, when a day in the morning, when I went to my job… I'm was going to college (and I'm still doing), open my old fashion agenda, and saw that I have a homework to do, a special work… Nobody remind me… no beeps, no rumbles… nothing… I decided to buy a PDA, a palm m515, it was great… work just as I want and more… but the really thing was that I used it just to play… but I want more… more power, more game experience so two years latter I bought a Zire 72… It have it all, mp3 player, a brilliant display, hi res, voice recorder and digital camera (well, it really helps on my meetings, when I get asleep, but that’s another story)….

But I want more, more space, more capabilities, so two years laters (December, last year) I bought a Palm T|X… Palm even get better.. hi res tft, larger display, huge of memory (plus a gig sd card) and of curse WI-FI … well it’s really helpful…

Here is the deal, I still have my not so old m515, my helpfully Zire 72 and my own assistant T|X… and who knows… maybe a new member will become part of this family soon…

E. Schosinsky E.

Well, it all started with a trip to Service Merchandise when I was but a lad. Computer-obsessed minigeek that I was (learned to program in LOGO when I was 3), I'd always wanted something to take with me, and today was the day. I left that day with a Sharp EL-6061H (why I remember the model number to this day, I'm not sure), and, at the time, couldn't be happier. Two-line display, could hold a hundred name and number pairs. As time went on, I upgraded. Most upgrades came from whatever happened to be on clearance at The Wiz. A Psion 3a, Newton 110 (one model before the handwriting recognition really worked), not to mention whatever I could raid RadioShack for. Until one day, the clearance bin threw me a bone that would prove to be my gateway drug; a device called the HP OmniGo 100. Though not a Palm in its own right, it was one of the first devices to use Graffiti, and was innovative in its own right (display rotates to be used as a tablet or clamshell, pre-installed apps more powerful than I'd ever seen). So, when that device was stolen from me some time later, I needed a Graffiti-capable device, but smaller (the OmniGo was a bit chunky).

Enter the Palm.

I ran to the local Circuit City, where they had a IIIe on sale. Shortly after that, I began employment at a Palm reseller, and my addiction was cemented. And the upgrades flowed from the heavens. I jumped to a TRGpro when I ran out of memory. The (real!) speaker was a feature I was crazy for, too, and one I didn't see until very recently. Picked up a Symbol SPT1540 next. While a step back in memory, the barcode scanner was a great feature, one I still miss (can't afford the SD scanner). Color was my next step, with the IIIc. Rechargeable battery and a bright, sharp display, it was everything I wanted.

Or so I thought.

I always liked the Palm V's design, but could never justify the cost without some added features. So, when the m505 arrived, that was that. It had everything I wanted (sleek casing, expansion, faster processor), and, despite the introductory price, I bought the first one in the store, and have been using it ever since.

Since then, I haven't upgraded (too dependent on Graffiti 1). However, I wouldn't be averse to finally jumping to a new LifeDrive...

I still have my original Pilot 5000 someplace, although it's in pretty dire shape. In some ways it doesn't seem like 10 years has passed, although I am on my sixth Palm device:

1. Pilot 5000 (still have)
2. PalmPilot Personal, later upgraded to Pro (given to Coworker)
3. Palm V (retired when hardware rocker key broke)
4. Tungsten T (stolen)
5. Tungsten T3 (broken)
6. Replacement T3

While I'm somewhat disappointed in how little the platform really developed (and in some ways backpedaled), I still find my T3 indispensable.

I had been a Franklin planner user for years, and when the first Palm Pilot came out I was enthusiastic about replacing the bulky planner with a compact little gadget. But after looking at the software available, I was disappointed--there was nothing that effectively replicated the information structure and processes that I had with the Franklin system. Even Franklin Covey's own software was inadeqate. I finally succumbed to gadget envy, however, and bought a Palm III, carrying it around inside the planner binder. For quite a while I used it almost exclusively to maintain my list of contacts and appointments--being able to set alarms for appointments was certainly a great step forward over the paper planner. And I began accumulating software: ToDo Plus, HanDBase, Bonsai, DayNotez, AllTime, and a double handful of others. When I found Life Balance I finally gave up the paper planner altogether. There is still a lot of scope for better integration of PIM information and functions on the Palm--for example, to cross-reference related bits of data in different applications, I still have to annotate the items with little codes, just like in the paper planner--but it's the software (almost all third party software) that makes the Palm the indispensable tool and companion that it has become for me.

Most of my friends in school at the time were early adopters of Palm ( one even went on to write the Doom clone for Palm, Dreadling ) and I became more and more intrigued at the power and versatility of the Palm organiser. Probably the thing that stood out the most was how palm had got the form factor just right. In the past I had tried other 'handhelds' like the Newton but they were too bulky. Adding to this the power of being able to sync a Palm Pilot to your PC and Palm had the market sewn up.

I actually held out on buying one ( despite several near misses ) until the IIIc came out. Despite moving on to more powerful and sophisticated palm, my LifeDrive for example, the IIIc remains one of my favourites. It was the first real colour device, had a decent amount of memory and despite what folks might say. It wasn't too bulky. It was a very useful addition to me while I did Electronic Engineering at University and in the end I was sad to give it up. I'm proud to say though that I replaced the internal battery and it's still going strong, ready to step in if my LifeDrive goes tits up.

Palm, I applaud you, you're a company that was willing to strike out with an innovative idea and break new ground in the mobile computing sector. I look forward to the next 10 years, whatever they might hold!

Back in high school, long ago, I got my first experience with handheld computing with a Tandy PC-5 programmable in BASIC. It wasn't until January 9, 1999, that I got my first Palm, the 3com Palm III for a whopping $395.83. I'd heard that it would play those classic Infocom text adventure games, which I thought was extraordinarily cool. But it didn't take long to discover that 2MB of storage space wasn't very much. Then came the IIIx with 4MB of space, followed by the color IIIc with 8MB, then the stylish m500 with a 32MB SD/MMC card, and finally the shiny T|E with 32MB and a 128MB SD card. I was impressed with the T|E's speed compared to the slow m500. Apps launched instantly. I haven't replaced the T|E even though the T|X looks good because of my concern with product quality and workmanship. The T|E has that horrible two-frequency annoying buzz and earsplitting whine that makes it impossible to use in quiet unless earplugs are employed. Also, the AC adapter has a flaky cord that has to be bent in just the right way or the device won't recharge! Then, the sound sometimes goes out until I give the T|E a good squeeze, and finally the power button only occasionally works, so I have to use the center D-pad button to turn it on, and let it time out to turn off! However, the LifeDrive looks interesting even though it's large and expensive and will soon be obsolete, so I'm posting my story here at PIC. I'll stay out of the Pilot 1000 to give real Palm Pilot collectors a better chance.

After a couple of real cheap electronic address books I bought an Apple Newton. I liked what it could do but it was just too large. I'm a Mac user. My next experience was with a Sony Clie. I forget the model number. I'm presently using a Clie TG50. At some point I'd like to get something that combines the functionality of a pda with a cellphone.

My Palm story begins with the visit of a friend of mine from Boston. He had come into town to see his folks and while here we got together. What made this visit really nice was this little device he pulled from his pocket, a Palm Handheld Organizer. As soon as I saw what he could do with it I knew that this was the future for all persons who liked to stay organized. I had to have one. Thus began “Project Sweetie Pie”.

“Project Sweetie Pie” was not hatched in a day. It took me weeks to configure the whole scenario in my head. It required deep thought, forward thinking and a measure of intrepidity on my part. You see, “Project Sweetie Pie” was code for “Honey? Did you see that Palm thing Don had? Pretty cool eh? Well if I had one, think of how much I could do in keeping up with phone numbers, addresses, the things around here you want me to work on and all my business stuff. I am thinking about getting one.” Of course my wife just gave me the eye and didn’t say much. But after a few weeks I bought my first Palm and then a few more

To say from here on out was smooth sailing would not be true. She dubbed it my “Little Baby Toy” and wouldn’t even try it out. This posed a real problem since part of the “Project Sweetie Pie” master plan was to migrate to the next new device Palm built and pass it along to her. There had to be a way to draw her attention to this wonderful little miracle of design. But what was it?

One day while surfing for new software I came across a program that jumped off the screen as the answer to my problems. “HandyShopper”. There it was, the one application I knew deep in my heart would win her over to at least pick up the Palm and try it out. And I was right. At dinner one night I was tinkering with my Palm and kept saying “Hmm, interesting” over and over. She couldn’t take it any longer. “Alright, what is so interesting that you can’t tear yourself away from your “Little Baby Toy”. “Well” I said, “It is this new program I have been trying out, they call it HandyShopper. Check it out”. I then began to show her how it worked. She didn’t flinch. She was captured by the idea of a shopping program that would replace the sheets of paper that contained the staples of life each week. Soon the Palm was in her hand and she was tinkering while I finished eating.

The next day was grocery day and I told her she could borrow my Palm and test drive the application for me since it probably would make more sense to her. She agreed. While she was gone, phase three of “Project Sweetie Pie” went into action. I had begun looking for the next Palm and had found it, the Palm IIIc. COLOR! Oh my word, could it be? Yes, YES, YESSSSSSSSSS. If only she would come home and say she liked my current Palm, then I could upgrade.

Time went so slowly that day. When she came through the door I knew I had to put away the excited puppy attitude and be cool. I helped bring in the groceries and then helped put them away. She did not say a word. Very strange. I thought she might say something, even toss the Palm back to me and say she didn’t like it. Nothing. The moment was killing me. I was about to open my mouth when she turned and said, “OK, this is pretty cool. Shopping was a breeze and did you know you can also do this and that.” I was blown away. This was going to be easy, but I still had to stay cool. Too excited though I jumped the gun, “Hey, if you like it, I can get another one and you can have this one.” Uh oh, the look I feared, stone cold contemplation of the question just tossed at her. No expression whatsoever. I waited, held my breath and she finally sighed, “OK, I’ll give it a try. What are you going to buy now?”. YAHOOOOOO, release the Hounds, daddy is getting a new pair of shoes.

From that day forward I went through migration to the next level like most people breath air. She knew that each time I upgraded it would mean a newer more powerful machine for her. She was absorbed by the need for more memory and power like I had been. We had both moved into the official Palm Techie World.

After that it wasn’t enough to own one. I had to tell everyone about the ability, the capacity, the flexibility, the sheer joy of owning a Palm. It did not stop there. I taught myself how to write Palm software since I could not find apps to fit my need. This is still a fun hobby. In all this time and fun I have helped hundreds of my friends and associates become Palm users, some individually and some on the business level. I rarely took any money for the services, unless it was forced on me, since it was fun just to watch the excitement in their eyes as they grew in the symbiotic relationship with their Palm. Most allowed me to have the package code so I code register at the Palm Pays Back program. Today I hold the title as the World Leader on the World Leader Board. It would be higher but Palms promotion company cut me off.

Today my closet is full of the previous models. Some work and some are for parts as I help friends rebuild broken devices. Each time I open the boxes, the memories of that model flood my mind. My Palm Pro remains on my desk as a constant reminder of where it all began. I often think of the brilliance of Jeff Hawkins as he walked around with a stick and wood block day dreaming the Palm into existence. To take a dream and turn it into a household name is what legends are made of. Just think, if you own a Palm OS device, you had a hand in building that legend. Now how cool is that.

So, there you have it, My story. It is just a brief glimpse into the detailed history of how it all began for me, but it shows you how devoted I am to the product and its function. I hope your story is just as exciting and rewarding too.

Kevinbgood

Addicted to Palm

I got interested in Palm's when I borrowed my boss's Palm V. I was going to try to learn some things about it to help her learn how to better use it. At this point, I had a 1 year old boy who had just learned to throw his trash away. Well, we praised him so much for throwing trash away that he started throwing away pretty much anything he could get his hands on. I'm fairly sure this is where my boss's PALM V ended up.

To replace her PALM I searched on ebay. I became so interested in what I found that I bought a Handspring Visor Deluxe. That hooked me. Since then I have owned 2 visor deluxe's, a visor prism and platinum, a pilot professional, an M105, Tungsten T, a Zire 71 and 72, a Tungsten E, and a T|X. I did buy one Pocket PC in that period, but I quickly went back to Palm OS.

I love to buy old Palms. My wife shops thrift stores and I ask her to buy any palm pda she finds.

I now use my T|X for my schedule, maps, remote control, watching movies, podcasting, ebooks, games and browsing the internet.

Throughout college, I was a Dayrunner user. I kept several iterations of a little black book to keep track of classes, assignments and ministry appointments. When I graduated from college I worked for a company where many people used Franklin Planners. I was a Franklin Planner devotee for about three years and then I saw it . . . the HP OmniGo 120. I did a lot of research and participated on many online discussions before I took the plunge and purchased it. Once I made the switch from paper to electronic, I knew that I could never go back. I loved how I didn't have to keep re-entering my unfinished tasks on each day, how I didn't need to recopy items to my monthly summary and how much smaller my OmniGo was than my bulky, but nice, pebble-leather skinned Franklin Planner.

I then switched companies and met a coworker that had recently switched from a Psion to a Pilot 1000. He said he missed his keyboard so we swapped my OmniGo for his Pilot 1000. I was pretty amazed at how useable it was and I thought the sync capabilities were fantastic. And then I discovered how many freeware apps people were writing for it back in 1996. It was amazing and I remember perusing PilotGear.com and a host of other now defunct/merged/expanded (but still well appreciated) software sites from that era.

Then I decided that I needed more memory which lead to a Pilot 5000 upgrade card. Which was followed by a PalmPilotPro upgrade card. Which was followed by the purchase of a Palm 3. Which was followed by the purchase of a Palm Vx -- still among the ultimate form factors for a handheld, IMHO. I used that for years even though I had a short stint where I switched to a Compaq Ipaq 3650 for a few months that my company provided for me. After nearly throwing that against the wall multiple times a day for months, I went back to my trusty ol' Vx and it was like coming home. :-)

I even switched vocations and became a high school youth pastor for a while. My fellow pastors were skeptically amazed when I'd make announcements and give benedictions from my Vx in the pulpit. What a hoot! I joked around that " was dragging our church into the 90's technology-wise"(even though it was 2001 at the time). Ministry doesn't move too quickly when it comes to techology, generally speaking.

After another vocation change and after breaking two of the buttons on my Vx (that darned asteroids clone game!) and holding it together with tape I finally decided it was time to upgrade. I got a great deal on a lightly used Tungsten C with a keyboard, modem sled, travel charger & folding keyboard just before the gentleman put it on eBay. Woot!

I've been a TC users for the last 2 years and am waiting to see a worthy successor to the fastest Palm that has ever been made to date. Still like the thumbboard, wi-fi & speed. Watching movies on my Palm, using the Opera web browser, doing email, keeping my library of guitar music in SongBook, Instant Messaging, managing projects, playing games . . . it's a long way from my old Franklin Planner!

Even though my first experience with the PDA was not exactly a typical road-warrior would have, I was intrigued by gadgets all the time since I was a pre-teen.

Back in the 1980's, Casio began to launch a line of gadgets called "Data Bank", which was basically the early form of electronic organizers and PDA. It stored phone numbers of people and simple memo. But, among all models before this one from other manufacturers, nothing was as revolutionary as the PF-8000 ( http://users.erols.com/rwservices/pens/images.html ). It was compact, it had a dot-matrix display but, the "coolest" thing was that it had no traditional keyboard - it rather used a heat-sensitive touch pad to recognize characters literally "written" by the user's finger - Not even needed a pen (or stylus)! To accurately recognize the characters, Casio has introduced a unique way of "writing" method for it. (Sound familiar with PalmPilot's Graffiti?)

When I watched a TV show about this cool gadget from Casio, I started begging my old man for buying me one. Some of you may ask if it was really useful for a kid?! "But, hey, my excuse was that I have got a lot of relatives and classmates. To store all their numbers in the PF-8000 could get me 'more organized' and it was the coolest thing on Earth to show off with my finger-strokes!" (In fact, I later bought the optional memory module to cope with my "long list of contacts"!) Well, my old man was also intrigued by the brilliant idea... no typing, just using a finger as a pen! Later, Casio implemented the same concept in some of its wrist watches too. Users simply "wrote" on the crystal of the watches with their fingers.

As I grow older, I see gadgets as such with a more sophisticated perspective and have a different, more demanding expectation... Not just toy or cool factor anymore, it gotta be functional and practical; Not necessarily a bargain, but gotta worth for what I have paid. In my opinion, an organizer or PDA should be simple to use, fast to retrieve information that is relevant and flexible for expandability. It needs not to replace a powerful personal computer on the desk or expensive laptop on the go, but it is better to be an "extension" to the computers.

So when I looked for another organizer in the 1990's, Apple's Newton-powered MessagePad was, of course, came to my attention. But, it was still not quite fit in. Do not get me wrong, Newton was quite revolutionary without any doubt - it did actually invent the term, PDA and its object-oriented database concept was . However, I would rather draw a parallel with "tablet PC", even it was supposedly a PDA because it was a scale-down computer of its own. It was relatively bulkier, expensive (MUCH more!) than other tried-and-true but unsophisticated electronic organizers around. The handwriting recognition was not perfect all the time. Another big problem the Newton had: Connectivity with other computers. There was not a simple, straight-forward answer for that. So it would hinder the flow of information or communicate with other computers.

Then USR released the Pilot 1000 and 5000 in 1996, it answered my wishes. It had got the promising features I particularly like: "HotSync" the information with computers by a single, simple press of the button; The "Graffiti" handwriting recognition that worked. However, without backlit as the Newton, it would not be practical in the low-light environment. Even I was so tempted to become an early adaptor by the first wave of Pilot, I wanted to read the buzzwords, comments, experiences, opinions and reviews more. The consensus was that "The Pilot Connected Organizer works as advertised."

So when PalmPilot Personal came, I picked one up. It was just in time for my Asian trip, which I could really find out how practical it was in the real-world on daily basis. And, I was not disappointed... It went beyond ordinary electronic organizers do, yet simple to use like an ordinary electronic organizer. The learning process of Graffiti was fun. There was game, Giraffe, for training the users on the “strange new” way of writing on the PalmPilot. In fact, I got familiarized with Graffiti by playing this game during my 13-hour flight to Hong Kong.

Today, Palm has gone through a lot of changes and added features. I have also gone through different models… PalmPilot Personal, Palm IIIc, IIIx, V, Vx, m500, m505, Tungsten E and currently the TX. Besides just taking notes, storing contact information, PalmPilot has since then opened the door for many possibilities with the PDA. There have been many different software applications written for PalmOS as well as hardware peripherals to expand its capabilities. It has added new ways of reading books, news and the Bible; It has added a way of watching photo albums; It has added anew way of listening to music, watching video on the go; It has added ways to access the internet. In a sense, PalmPilot has changed my life.

It all begin when I know what MP3 files are.

Since then, I have been searching for a device that will allow me to carry my music. iPod was unknown at that time.

At that time (2001), I have just started working. I was hoping to be able to organise my life properly. :P

One fine day, I saw an advertisment by a local bank. They offered the Handspring Visor Platinum for half the retail price, provided you sign up for a credit card with them.

Great deal, I told myself! And, to spread the joy, I'd actually got another friend of mine to place an order too (each person can only place up to 3 orders).

Both our Visors arrived on the same day. It was a joy to see the new gadget! I started to play with it. At first, the organiser functions are quite confusing to me, but thanks to the simplicity of the Palm OS, it was turbo mode in less than a week.

I explored further and loaded a lot of applications into the Visor, many of which I use frequently.

I was a Palm addict in no time. I even managed to get my girlfriend one unit, so that she too can organize herself.

Two years later, the T3 arrived. I bought it on the same day that it was launched here in my country. The whole experience started all over again. Wow...

I still have my T3 with me. It's kinda sick (the battery's not lasting as long), but I've order a replacement battery and am determined to keep it in working condition as long as possible. :)

I'd love to win the LifeDrive AND the Pilot 1000 (sorry, had to be greedy here :P) and rest assured, I will keep both of them in perfect condition!

If I win, I'll post the pictures here again 10 years from now. :D

Now, that would be a wonderful journey!

"Try not, do or do not! There is no try..." - Yoda, Jedi Master

Here's my story:

The first PDA I ever owned was a Palm5000. I was visiting my brother-in-law and his brother-in-law was visiting him from Washington. He worked for Microsoft (some irony here) and had just recently purchased this thing called a PalmPilot. What in the world was that?!! I watched him display it and I was instantly hooked. I went out that very next Monday morning and purchased my first of what would become MANY MANY Palm's. I spent the next 3 hours sitting in my car setting up/playing with my new Palm5000 (I should have been in class). I nearly drained a set of batteries right there the first day.

I used my Palm5000 for quite a long time. I even purchased an expansion chip (which I installed myself) to jump thememory to a whopping 8MB...WOW!

Well, then Palm came out with the III series and it was time to upgrade. I updgraded to a Palm IIIx. It had a newer, sleeker, sexier "body" and had built in 8 MB of memory. What a device.

Well, the IIIx didn't last long...I then upgraded to a Palm Vx. This was the mother of all Palm's. Sleek...sexy...powerful...professional! What a great device!

But, that too didn't last very long with me. Shortly after purchasing my Vx, Palm released the first color handheld...the Palm IIIc. I HAD TO HAVE IT! So....I bought it. I traded in the Vx and bought the IIIc. This palm had a very bright, vibrant screen and I loved playing games like SimCity and Tiger Woods Golf on my IIIc. GREAT times for a palm user.

Well, as great as the IIIc was, Sony had really started to make a splash in the PalmOS PDA market. They were next on my list, with their Sony PEG615C. It was the first PalmOS powered HI-Res Color device with 16 MB of memory and I HAD TO HAVE IT! It also had such cool things as the famous "jog dial" and an expansion slot (MemoryStick). Pretty cool. I loved this device except that the red color on the screen wasn't all that great. In fact, the color in general wasn't as good as my IIIc although it was Hi-res which made pictures more vibrant.

My love affair with Sony wasn't over. I then sold my 615c and bought (on ebay...my first venture buying anything on ebay) a clamshell Sony Device. I bought an NR70. This was a very cool device. I loved the swivel screen, the built in keyboard and it even had an MP3 player. AWESOME stuff. I used this handheld for a while and loved it.

Then it happened...SONY announced it was pulling Clie's from the US Market. NOOOOOOoooooooooo!!!!!!!!

Fearing problems with warranties or being able to buy new Sony PDA's, it was time to go back to the brand that started the whole thing with me...PALM....which was now PalmOne, of course.

I went back to Palm with a Tungsten T5. This was a great little device with it's NVFS memory, fast processor and small size (relative to my NR70). I used this device for nearly 9 months (a new modern record for my PDA usage) and then moved on to my current device, a TX....had to have WiFi builtin, you see.

Soo, as you can see...my obsession with Palm/Sony PDA's has been a long one. I LOVE THEM....They are my 3rd hand (as my wife would say)!

I'd love to win a Life Drive, to be able to have the 4 GB memory and other powers of this device.

Thank you for allowing me to share my Palm story with you. I've enjoyed the past 10 years ride with PalmOS and hope there is another 10 years....what will it bring?!?!

My first palm was a IIIx I bought back in January '99, and served me well until my Samsung i500. Initially, I purchased it as a gadget to toy with, not something I'd use every day... I was wrong, of course.

In March of '99, my brother and I decided to go out on a limb and meet the folks who were lining up for the 1st showing of Star Wars: Episode 1 at Mann's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood... and to make a long story short, I ended up being one of those original people lining up on the sidewalk on Hollywood Blvd. It was through this experience that my Palm became my best friend. With it, I was able to keep the contact info of so many of the folks I met, I was able to make sure I didn't miss any of the cool (or obsessive) events that were held in line, and I was able to pass the time in line with Bejewed and Tetris. :-)

So, of course it happened that I was walking from In-n-Out back to the line, when my IIIx slipped out of my hand and landed face-down on the hard cement. I gingerly picked it up, cradling it, and turned it over.

Half the screen had turned black from 1 long crack. I was crushed. Horrified... But I immediately called Palm, secured a replacement for $100, and was up and running within the week again.

I have very fond memories of my time in line for Star Wars: Episode 1... and my Palm IIIx is no small part of that.

I had been using a Newton for about two years. First a 120, then a 130 and finally a 2100. I loved my Newton but I always thought it was a little too big to carry around... That was until I spotted the Palm 5000. I wanted to try one of them but was in no financial position to do that at the time, and I didn't want to sell my MP2100 just yet.

It was about the time that Palm came out with the Palm Pilot Professional model that I was able to afford one. I bought the clip-on modem as well. Let me tell you I loved that Palm, it wasn't as elegant as my Newt but it did the things I needed to do in a small package. Since then it's been a constant upgrade for me:

- Professional
- III
- IIIx (added xrtra-xtraPro card)
- Vx
- m505
- T3

And now I'm looking at the Treo 650 or waiting a little longer for the rumoured Treo 700P.

My first introduction into the PDA market was around the time the Palm Pilot Pro came out. I was working for AT&T Worldnet doing tech support and always had a hard time remembering when I was supposed to do callbacks, and why I was supposed to be calling.

I was at Staples on day when I saw an open-box Palm Pro and decided to take the plunge.

It truly was a lifesaver. I managed to never miss a callback and always knew why I had to call them back. Even my manager at the time, noticed my call quality going up and that I was able to resolve more calls since I was able to take accurate notes and have them readily available.

Ever since then, I've always had a PDA of some incarnation on me wherever I go.

Ah, it was back in the year 2000 in 6th grade when I got my first Palm OS handheld, the 2MB Visor. Before then I was just starting to get into technology - computers, gadgets...all that good stuff. In about 1998, Comcast started to offer a new channel, ZDTV, and I went ahead and watched it, and that is when my interest in technology really started to boom. However, one day on Fresh Gear, one of the shows on ZDTV, they showed the Palm III, and man was I impressed. Everything about it - the organizational features, and even the possibility of playing games on it - impressed me, and I just had to have one. However, I was still pretty young and had no money, and when I asked my parents, they said no.

Then, in 6th grade, I started carrying a day planner, where I would write my homework assignments, appointments, and all that fine stuff. After seeing my grades for the first semester, my parents finally decided - they were going to get me my first Palm OS handheld! I then had a decision to make - should I get the Palm IIIe or the Handspring Visor 2MB? I looked around for Palm OS forums and read through everyone's opinions about the two handhelds, then I made my choice - I was going to get the Visor 2MB. I saw that it had the potential - expansion, a "nicer" screen - something that I didn't think the Palm III had.

I am now in high school now, and with my T|T3 (continued w/ my T|X), I've been able to replace most of my notebooks in school with my handheld, and I've impressed a lot of teachers with what technology can do today.

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Technology Reporter at www.dailygadget.com

I've been using the Palm OS for years, but only recently have I started using a Palm device. I used to have a Casio personal organizer-thingy, but since it didn't work with Macs I couldn't back it up. And, of course, it was stolen at the Madrid airport, along with all the numbers of the hotties I'd met on my trip. That scared me good, so I stopped using electronic PIMs and starting using DayTimers with printouts of all my phone numbers inside. But by 1999 I was sick of the mess they were by the end of the month and when I lost one of those...

I looked at a Palm in 1999, but bought a Visor instead. It worked great with a Mac and I loved all the gadgets for that big slot. And I got the Palm OS right away, and found it to be just what I needed.

But by 2001 it was falling apart, so I looked at Palms again, but this time went with a Clie. Those were marvelous boxes. Metal construction, much better features, faster processors, and similar cost. I went through three models (615T, 665T orange - that was a pretty critter - and the TG50). But then Sony pulled out and I was left with Palm.

So, here we are. I decided against buying a new T5 and bought a used T3 to see how I liked it before committing. In fact, I like it. So if Palm can make a new device with all the features of the LifeDrive but the size of the T3, I'm all over it. Hell, I might even get a Treo if they can make that work with Graffitti.

Not a "I love Palm!" story, but a "Palm makes the best OS" story. I'm happy to call Palm my new hardware favorite too, as long as they keep innovating. History hasn't worked in Palm's favor, but I'm optimistic!

Being born in 1956, I have grown up with technoligical advances, but it wasn't till the dawn of the 90's that computer technology for the mass's hit it's stride. Being interested in anyting and everything haveing to do with computers, to point of obsession, I came across my first Palm Pilot, the one after the Pilot 5000. Pretty nifty little computer, most of my peers, looked upon my little star trek type tricorder as a novelty, however I guessed there was much more to come, and as typical with computer technology it went beyond my wildest dreams and a few nightmares. I tinkered with Palm and a few early pocket pc, with a few aggravating situations, such as a early casio refusing to turn on when I needed a phone #, for a woman and it would not turn on, reset,fresh batteries nothing, well I gave that piece of c@#P to my lawyer.
But no, that didn't stop my love affair with Palm computers that incident soon forgotten time to move unto newer, better faster technology.
I would say I have had 80% of all Palm models released, fianlly ending with a Lifedrive that was I was using on a cruise ship while drunk and being somewhat slippery it slid right off into Davey Jones locker. While I replaced it with a t3 off ebay that game with a gps, actually going back a few models but loving the t3 more then any other Palm I have had. Kudos to Palm for a long and bumpy love affarir!

I bought a Palm III in 1999. I think the Palm III was getting a little long in the tooth by then and as a newly married man I could barely scrape up enough money to buy it. I've always loved the idea of having a minimalistic approach (esp. size wise) to keep organized and all the other goodies that come with Palm. In 2002 I started to look at getting a new device and almost bought an ipaq 1910 before I knew there was a darkside. As I started researching things out I just fell in love with Palm. It is kind of a gut thing -- always hoping for the elusive perfect devise. Since then I've visited PIC nearly everyday to hear the banter of the true enthusiasts. I've owned a Zire 71, T|E, T|3, and this week my Treo 650 should arrive in the mail.

It was winter 2000 and the 8 mb monochromatic (two) AAA powered Palm IIIXE PDAs retailed for $250! I was tired of transcribing contact info from my DayRunner(paper based organizers - company is still in business) clone into a 2 mb Sharp one line LCD electronic organizer that sucked up watch batteries like a fiend.

But Amazon.com had it on sale for Christmas for $200. Then I found a code for $50 off Amazon electronics purchases - brining it down to $150. Did I mention that I was also considering the Handspring PDA also? They were a start up company founded by the Palm founders and their PDAs had slots in the back that accepted Handspring software cartridges - think of them as the handheld Nintendo Gameboy systems for adults. Nice idea, but I didn't see any cartridges that really attracted me enough to take the Handspring plunge. So I created an Amazon account and ordered the IIIXE. When I received the package a week or so later, I inserted the batteries and began keying in contact info - without reading any manuals. So simple and intuitive.

I use a Palm Tungsten E2 now - 32mb, SD slot and color screen! But I do miss the convenience of replacing weak or dead AAA batteries with fresh AAAs. Palm needs to know that users are not always around a charger and outlet.

I have been a Geek long before it was fashionable. In the early 90's, I bought my first computer, a Zenith Laptop with a 10" monochrome screen, Intel 386 processor, Windows 3.1, and whopping 120 meg hard drive. Shortly thereafter I joined Compuserve, and begin surfing the Internet, still in it’s infancy. I eventually discovered Compuserve's Handheld Computing Forum, as well as some other Usenet computer discussion boards. I marveled at the concept of handheld computers. At that time I also became an avid user of Isbister’s "Time & Chaos" software, which had a full featured calendar, to-do list, and memo pad. It was a great utility, BUT required constant access to your computer. For a while I tried Casio and Rolodex pocket organizers, but they didn't allow easy data backups, and I kept losing important information. Around 1995, there was some talk on Compuserve about a new handheld device under development. Details were sketchy, but it would be a battery powered shirt-pocket sized device, with handwriting recognition, offering contact, memo, and to-do lists, and computer data backup. I was smitten by the concept, and kept abreast of it's development online. To this day, I truly believe Jeff Hawkins was actually lurking on those Compuserve boards, picking our brains during the early development of that original Pilot 1000. Needless to say, I purchased one as soon as they were shipping, and have been a devoted Palm enthusiast ever since.

Alas, my story is entitled “Falling in Love With a Palm Pilot” and here’s why…
After eventually upgrading to a Palm IIIe, one day I was demonstrating the Palm virtues to a friend of my sister’s, who naively let me show her how graffiti worked, by letting me enter her phone number. Ellen was very cute, but I never called her back to ask her out. However, many months later my sister told me her friend mentioned she was looking to buy a used Palm Pilot. The Palm IIIxe was just coming out, and of course I was planning to upgrade, so I called Ellen to see if she wanted my old one. She did, and I sold it to her for $75, offering free "Tech Support" as well. Turns out she needed a LOT of Tech Support, and I spent quite a few afternoons at her place, teaching her the nuances of graffiti, various hacks and software add-ons. Next thing you know we were dating, and over the ensuing weeks we, and our Palms, were inseparable. After a few more months of romance, I decided to propose, with the help of my Palm IIIXe, of course.

Using Album To Go, I created a rudimentary slideshow, with pics of me, her, us, and our Palm Pilots, culminating with a poem asking her to marry me and a final picture of a rose. I then got down on my knees, presented her that same rose, along with an engagement ring. She looked at me in utter amazement, with teary eyes, and wrote YES on my Palm with Graffiti!

Now, 6 years later, I am using a Treo 650, she is using a Sony Clie, and our young daughter now wants possession of my old Handspring Treo 180g!

Okay everybody...here is how it all started :-P

In 1996, my dad was working for Bell Labs/Lucent. He, along with other members of Bell Labs/Lucent, was given a Palm Professional (Third Palm ever created). He held on to that for 2 years, until 1998, when Bell Labs/Lucent upgraded. He got a brand new Palm Vx, and I got my first Palm, his old Palm Professional. I was 6 at the time, and was just getting interested in programming. 1 year later, I was at my aunt's house, and she had an old Palm III sitting in her closet, which she gave to me. I still held onto that old Palm Professional. In 2000, that same aunt had a Palm Vx sitting around (she worked for someone who had a bunch of them), and I got that for my 8th birthday. A couple weeks later, my dad had yet again upgraded and now had 2 Palm Vx handhelds that he gave to me. I used this trio for 3 years until 2003, when I bought a Palm Zire 71 off Overstock. That was at the beginning of 7th grade, and I was 12. Later that year, around December, it was stolen, and I went Palm-less until my Bar Mitzvah in June, when I received a Tungsten C as a gift. This Palm is my current production Palm. In August, my dad yet again upgraded and I got his old Dell Axim x3 with WiFi, so I just use that occasionally. I am 13, and my Palm line is still improving! I just sent my Tungsten C back for the fourth time in the 1-year warranty, and I am going to sell it this June as soon as the warranty runs out, and I will buy a new one (probably a Treo :-P). So, if anyone wants a Tungsten C in mint condition, just let me know. Well, thats my story...let me know what you thought.

Palm Porfessional->Palm III->Palm V->Palm Vx->Palm Vx->Palm Zire 71 (stolen)->Palm Tungsten C (current)/Dell Axim x3 (only if I need it :-P)

My first Palm was an m105, won in a raffle at a golf tournament. I had never really thought too much of Palms before, but I soon recognized its usefulness. From there, it took over my life. Soon I bought an m130, then a Tungsten T, and now a Tungsten T5. It still amazes me how useful a tool that a Palm can be; how I ever lived without it is beyond me.

Since my first visit to Hong Kong I've always had a Casio Data Watch. It allowed me to store events and phone numbers and I, still, am never without it.

When I left my first job, after 10 years, the rest of the staff chipped in and bought me a Sharp organiser. It was great - I could do so much more but I still couldn't add functionality.

A friend had a Palm 1000 and I coveted it. I had to get one but times were tough and they were very expensive. Could I really justify one. I played with the emulator on my work computer, I read the magazines (as they were in those days) and I took note of how much time I would actually have to play with it.

After a week I concluded that I couldn't justify it and then one of my suppliers offered me a deal I couldn't refuse and I purchased a Palm Vx. I had to argue with him that I needed the 8MB but I got it and soon filled it up.

Since then I've upgraded to a Clie UX-50 and still think it holds it's own against the current models. I got my girlfriend, now wife, into it with a Palm m100 and she's upgraded twice since.

Mobile computing is the way to go. I just wish more people were forward thinking enough to realise it.

Back in 1997 I was working for a company that developed computer-based training on cd-roms. (The internet was not popular then). One day our Director of Systems Development, who happend to be a Franklin-Organizer freak got the idea of making all his programmers more organized.

So one day during a staff meeting, all 10 of us programmers received a box. Inside the box was

1) A Franklin Organizer
2) A Franklin Organizer refill
3) A Palmpilot Pro
4) Franklin Software Organizer for the Palmpilot Pro.

We were all shocked. Wow.. we all had the US Robotics Palmpilot Pro. Well, apparently the first rule of having an organizer was that you should get rid of all other organizers and stick to just one. Needless to say that #1 and #2 above was never used.

There was a catch though -- we had to attend a 1/2 day training on how to be organized. Hey, we didn't mind.. 1/2 of free food and not having to work - that's a programmer's haven. We didn't get anything out of the seminar because we all had our palmpilots with us, playing games or trying to learn graffiti.

So it was with the gift that our Director of Systems Development hoped that we would be more organized. Not that it was a problem. Programmers may have "weird" work ethics but hey, we always get our job done when it needs to get done.

What happened next was that instead of boosting productivity and organizing the programmers, we ended up finding tons of freeware games and apps and mem defraggers (remember, we were programmers), we became preoccupied and obsessed with the Palmpilot. Productivity dropped and our Director of Systems Development was "let go".

Man, I loved that Palmpilot..

I bought my first Palm, a Professional model, in 1999. I don't exactly when, because in trying various ad-on programs I lost a couple months of data. I broke the first couple but thanks to Circuit City I got a second Pro, then a III. Via a friend I got a Vx via an employee program. I finally bought a T|C in Feb. 2004. My company bought me a Blackberry in Sept. 2005, but I still carry the T|C as it is a better PDA. On a side note my various Palms have traveled with my on all of my vacations (europe, Alaska & Tahiti) and it has saved my backside having various numbers, etc. with me.

Ken

I’ve been a Palm User since the Palm III days. Couldn’t justify the $500 cost at the initial Pilot days. Then I took the plunge – damned addictive machines – ohhh 2 Mb memory. Along comes the Palm 505 and once again my $500 addiction continued. The continual justifications of the power the new device was my war cry allowing the Mastercard to fight my battles. The offer to my spouse that she would have the use of my old device made no difference. I progressed through the Palm T/T and now the T3 - not interested in the Lifedrive or T5/X. I use it for all the normal things, scheduling, contacts, etc. Now I’m websurfing, chatting, hooking a Bluetooth GPS up to it, I use it as a remote with Noviiremote, MP3 player etc. My wife when offered the virtues of my old devices uses hers to keep contacts, and still maintains a paper schedule (insert sound of head beating against wall here). I am waiting patiently for the Linux Palm to emerge so once again my wife can have a prettier screen to look up phone numbers – grrr!!!! Love the machines, hate the feeling of forgetting them somewhere. May be difficult to get the required approval for the next device because I made the mistake of saying "this is all the device I will ever need " to justify the T3. Hopefully time will fog her memory.

I am a person with a short memory, so I used to make a memo on a piece of paper and shove it into my pockets. I used to forget to take out and read them, too. So.... uh oh.. what was I doing here... oh, my first Palm story. :-)

Years ago, I had a chance to read a book about Franklin Covey's time management. It seemed so attractive way to manage those scrap papers in my pockets. I bought a planner and tried to follow their suggested way to manage my time. I loved to memo, write to-do list and appointments. Yes, it worked. However one missing function of the planner was a reminder. It couldn't give me an alert with beeps.

A couple of years later, I found there was a Palm Pilot. It was such an exciting thing, because I love to have any kind of gadget. I started looking for a used Palm III or IIIe which were a popular model at that time. Why a used one? What do you think? Because it's cheaper than a new one. ;-)

When I was looking for a Palm, I found myself didn't forget this thing, to buy a Palm pilot! It was amazing. The Palm IIIe have every function that I wanted, alarm, to-do list, memo pad and so on.

Since then, I became a Palm maniac. Palm m100, m505, T2, Zire72s have been my friends and the T3 is currently serving me.

b b beep - b b beep - b b beep
It's time to ... uh... what was it?

The first PDA I had was a smart phone Kyocera 7135. I received my 7135 a week before it was released publicly in San Diego through my business department of where I worked.

The reason was becuase at the time I was taking care of my mother who was under doctor care for Peritoneal dialysis. She had a kidney disease that limited her daily activities becuase she needed to run her dialysis six times a day. to stay in touch with her and to keep all my calendar reminders close at hand my employment allowed me to purchase the 7135. It was a god send.

Besides my work allowing me to have the phone and to use it at work, they also allowed me to leave at anytime when she needed me. Yes I was lucky.

Since her passing on July of 1992 I have upgraded my smart phone to a TREO 600 then a TREO 650.

I have given my TREO 600 to my wife and have recently sold my 7135 on EBay.

I would like to wish everyone who joins this contest good luck.

JR Hervas

I got my first Palm, a Tungsten E, only a year and a half ago, when I realized I needed something better than the collection of used envelopes, post-its, phone message slips, etc. that I used to organize myself.

I had no previous desire to get a PDA at all, so it came as quite a surprise to me; I think not having enough money to get a new desktop or laptop computer made me consider the handheld category as well.

Of course, the fact the I could play games and listen to music while I commuted was a purely secondary matter. Now, I've played Bejeweled 2 so much I need to consider getting the screen replaced or just get used to the idea of tapping the screen a few dozen times before I get it to recognize a stroke. Either that, or win this contest.

I run Winlauncher not because I like window$, but because it displays my Agendus daily view on screen. I would love to see an updated Palm OS appear to bring this platform up to date, even though it would mean several months' delay before the pundits here found something else to trade rumors, predictions and insults about.

Hey, isn't that what forums are for!

Love this place!

YojimboE

Professional Amateur

The Navy issued us m515s a couple months before we graduated from the Academy. I hadn't been a big fan at the time, truthfully. I saw it as kind of gimmicky. Not a lot more than video blackjack with a task organizer. It didn't seem very functional, but I played around with it nonetheless. I jotted notes down on it once in a while during O-Call and Executive Officers morning meeting, but more than anything else I used it as an alarm clock.

Until...

Until the fateful day that I cracked the screen. During a surprise General Quarters drill I popped out of my rack and accidentally knocked my alarm clock onto the deck causing a big black cloud in one corner of the display. I could hear it clicking... and I could make the screen light up... but that was about it. No more Billiards. No more World Clock. But what did I care, right? I barely used the thing. But I did care! As soon as we pulled back into Yokosuka, I got a deal on upgrading to the T2 and received it in the mail shortly afterwards.

Now that I had a handheld that I paid for with my own money, it suddenly got very functional. Every single bit of unclassified information that I deemed worthy of remembering went into that device. I organized. I filed. I noted progress. I set deadlines. I disseminated. I Mahjonged. I converted 7 out of 15 people in my charge and 3 of my peers to adopt a PalmOS PDA. We geeked out something fierce tappin' away at every brief and meeting.

Now, in the military (as in any other organization) there is something that should be said about fundamentals. No amount of technology, false motivation, or ingrained leadership ability will take the place of clear goals, communication, proactivity, and networking. All of these things can be accomplished with spiral notepads and black ballpoint pens... but to have every email address, conversation, important date, deadline, and task in my right front pocket... that's a force multiplier for me. and without a doubt it's gratifying when people stop arguing with you because you're always 3 steps ahead of them.

It seems I have always had a penchant for gadgets. I had the pacman watch, a Casio calculator watch, digital handheld video games (thought I skipped the whole gameboy craze for some reason). I think one of the happiest days of my childhood was bringing home a nice new Atari 2600. Computers, though, always topped the list. So it was only natural that a handheld computer that could fit in your pocket (however limited in horsepower/abilities) would be the ultimate. And Palm pda's were basically pocket computers, no matter how Palm chose to frame it.

I was first exposed to Palm PDA's while in the Navy, providing computer support to various folks at the naval station I was assigned to at the time. It seems I knew more about Palm's than the people who owned them, and I had yet to buy my own. This continued when I left the service and started working for the City of Seattle as a contractor. Now I had more need for something to organize my contacts, appointments, billable hours, etc. The Palm seemed the logical way to do this.

I had a paper planner that had much of this information in it, but it rarely did me any good. Why? It wasn't portable (to my standards, anyway, which means it fits in a pocket), it couldn't remind me of when an appointment was due - I had to constantly be looking at it, it was tedious to change anything in it (i.e. change of address, change an appt. time, etc.), and it had to be refilled every so often with new pages that weren't cheap. No, this wasn't for me and I soon stopped using it for anything other than a desktop repository for information, which my computer shortly took over. Game over for the paper planner.

Sooooo...I headed to my local Circuit City and bought a Palm IIIe. Hmmm...I shouldn't *need* more than 2MB of RAM on this thing, right? After all it's *just* going to be my address book and planner..... yeah, right. I quickly discovered that I could do so much more than that on my Palm, and found that I was in dire need of more RAM! In 2 weeks, I took the IIIe back for a IIIxe, which alleviated my RAM woes for a short time. Now I could read my ebooks, keep my finances (and sync them with my computer), play games, and so much more in addition to my address/appointment needs. I of course promptly found ways to tweak everyting....hackmaster/x-master were valuable tools. Then my wife wanted one too. Got her a IIIxe as well and we have both been addicted since. PalmInfoCener has long been a valuable resource to me for learning and sharing experience with Palm handhelds, even before I finally registered as a member on the site.

Since then, I have had a Handera 330, a Clie T615, Tungsten|1, 2, 3, and T5. My wife moved from her IIIxe to a Zire 71, and now a Z72. I have also played on the "other side" a little bit with an Axim X50v. All have had their outstanding features as well as their shortcomings, but I still love handhelds.

_________________
Sean

There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self.

The year was 2000. I was accepted into the full-time MBA program at the University of Southern California. My family, which consisted of my wife, my six-month old son and I, left Seoul, Korea, and arrived in Los Angeles in July 2000. During the orientation period for the incoming students, I noticed that quite a number of people were carrying around Palm PDA's. I thought that I would need something like that to keep up with my schedules in graduate school. (A little backstory: My first try at the graduate school ended with my dropping out after the first year. One of the biggest reasons for my failure to finish the program was that I ended up putting way too much time into my teaching assistant work, and didn't have enought time for studying.) After looking into the choice available, I decided that I would probably need as much memory as possible, but I didn't need color screen just yet. I went to the local Office Depot store and bought a Palm IIIxe the week before the classes started.

That Palm IIIxe turned out to be a real life saver. I really don't know how I would have managed if I didn't have it. The first year of USC's full-time MBA course consisted of four "mini-semesters" where a full semester's worth of classes are crammed into half a semester's time, so it was really hectic in terms of studies, to say nothing of getting adjusted to being back in school, and getting to know your classmates and teammates. With my Palm IIIxe, I had the contact information of all my teammates at hand, as well as schedules and lecture room locations for all classes (scattered in different buildings around the campus on different days), when the assignments were due, and when the quizzes and tests were going to be held.

I also fell in love with the wide range of options available in the third-party applications. DopeWars was all the rage among Palm users at the business school for some reason (Hmm... I wonder why so many business executives get into trouble for wrongdoings?), but my favorite game was Pyramid solitaire. I still enjoy it today, but I was totally addicted to it back in the day. I swear I almost tore holes on my screen with my stylus!

Another thing that I remember fondly about those days is the many customization options available for the adventurous users. After the one-year warranty period had expired, I bought the transparent replacement shells and buttons over the web, so that I could make my Palm to look like a Handspring PDA. I also bought the GameBoy-style controller for more dedicated Palm gaming experience, and a thumb-sized memory backup unit in case I needed a system restore while away from my desktop computer. I really miss those fun accessories aspect of the Palm economy.

My Palm IIIxe died in December 2001. As far as I know, there was no physical reason for it. I never dropped it or anything like that. It was working fine one moment, and just stopped working the next. Looking back on it, I'm happy that it lasted that long, given how much abuse I heaped on it by installing and uninstalling tons of third-party software, as well as simultaneously running numerous system hacks and overclocking utilities at dangerous settings. Thankfully, it happened on the week before the Christmas vacation. (I can't imagine what would have been like if it broke down in the middle of a semester.) My next unit, also bought at the same Office Depot store, was a Palm m505. But that, obviously, is out of the scope for this contest, so that's the end of my story.

My Palm history:

IIIxe ---> m505 ---> m505 with 32MB memory upgrade ---> Tungsten 3

In 1998 I was beginning my first pastorate after graduating from theological seminary. I was completely unorganized and still very much on a student's schedule, I didn't even own a calendar. I had shown up for more than one service late as a student minister, and realized how much I had become a joke when one of the kids in my youth group showed up late for an event and announced that he had "pulled a Scott."
A friend of mine showed me his new toy called a Palm, it looked cool, I thought it would have better games than a filofax thing so I bought one from the local office supply store a Palm IIIxe.
I quickly found it indespensible. Since it was a gadget I would actually use it and managed to start getting better organized. As a minister it was perfect for my work which can be very mobile and you never really know where you'll be in any given day. The Bible software and ability to work with documents made it perfect for working on my Sunday sermon when I found myself waiting in a hospital room.
The simplicity of the PIM features and the ability to have a traveling library with me at all times means my Palm (now a Zire 72) is with me always.

In 1998 I was beginning my first pastorate after graduating from theological seminary. I was completely unorganized and still very much on a student's schedule, I didn't even own a calendar. I had shown up for more than one service late as a student minister, and realized how much I had become a joke when one of the kids in my youth group showed up late for an event and announced that he had "pulled a Scott."
A friend of mine showed me his new toy called a Palm, it looked cool, I thought it would have better games than a filofax thing so I bought one from the local office supply store a Palm IIIxe.
I quickly found it indespensible. Since it was a gadget I would actually use it and managed to start getting better organized. As a minister it was perfect for my work which can be very mobile and you never really know where you'll be in any given day. The Bible software and ability to work with documents made it perfect for working on my Sunday sermon when I found myself waiting in a hospital room.
The simplicity of the PIM features and the ability to have a traveling library with me at all times means my Palm (now a Zire 72) is with me always.
Scott Sealy

I was a navigator in a Royal Australian Naval destroyer and had been using astromonical software on my personal computer for years. It saved my butt many times when my 'handraulic' maths to figure out a bunch of star sights would have taken too long. Well, one day a sailor showed me his Palm III. I thought it was pretty cool but right away saw the potential for mobile navigation. So I bought a Palm IIIC and loaded it up with all the navigation/astronomical software I could. That next week, we went to sea off the West Coast of Australia with our sea readiness trainers. As the navigator my life was to be hellish for the next couple of weeks. No sooner had we left harbour, than my gyro compass went dead, my GPS was unserviceable and then my untrustworthy magnetic compass went awry. What to do? The ship was in danger and everyone (even the Captain's parrot, okay, he didn't have a parrot!) were screeching at me!!!

Well, I pulled out my Palm IIIC fired up an app that gave me the true compass when you pointed the top to the sun and voila, I had a true compass to steer the ship by. I even used it to point to objects, reverse engineer their bearings and thereby gain bearing lines to plot on our ship's chart to fix our position. That bought me time while my sub-lieutenants grabbed sextants and took horizontal bearings for plotting. Soon out of sight of land my IIIC remained my only navigation tool for a while -- that is until the Sea Trainers 'killed' me and my IIC off in a low flying F/A 18 straffing run.

After that Sea Training only 'killed' all my equipment once more in two weeks, but they did eye my IIIC a few times and I am sure plotted to hide it on me.

After that I was sold. I bought an M515 and later a T3. My wife uses a Z22 now, my five year old uses the M515, my 2 year old uses the IIIC (boy, can it take abuse!!!) while my T3 has died out of warranty. I am using my Nokia smartphone until I win this Lifedrive competition. But Palm, you saved my (and 350 other guys) bacon many times. I just may have to stockpile a few older palms so that my kids have enough units as they get older. For me, I think I want just one last Palm for the next 50 years of my life - a Lifedrive, fittingly.

Hi. My name is John...and I am a Palm device addict. I blame my wife for my addiction and deny any personal responsibility. It all started with a Christmas gift on Christmas of 2004 (or 2003) cant remember for sure because of my addiction (I can't remember a time before a Palm powered device). Before this time I was a normal functioning adult with normal hopes, dreams and aspirations. At least until that fatefull morning. The gift was a Handspring Visor Deluxe Ice. It was a vision to behold. Clear case, clear hotsync cradle and all the accessories included. I wasted no time in trying it out and instantly realized I was hooked. Before long I was scrounging the internet for information on effective use/tips/tricks etc to maximize my pda experience (this is my second addiction). after a short time I decided I HAD to have a color screen device...after all if a monchrome screen was good...a color screen would be excellent! Then there are all the Handspring add-on modules. I just had to have a GPS, MP3, Expansion memory! This sent me on a buying/selling spree of momentus proportions. A partial list of my devices follows: Visor Deluxe Ice, Visor Prism, Various Clie's, Tungsten T, Tungsten T3, Treo 90, Back to T3, LifeDrive, TX, and finally back to a LifeDrive currently. Along with all of the hardware...I discovered the wonders of PalmOS third Party software!! What an invention! Launchers, mp3 players, movie players, file explorers, Hacks, DA's, oh my! I just could not get enough. I have spent hundreds of dollars I could have put into my daughters education fund on 100's of programs/upgrades. Then the disovery of all the Palm related websites/forums etc...I have spent 1000's of hours surfing for the latest news/info/programs/tips/tricks etc. Now here I sit entering a contest for a device I don't really need but a device that I MUST HAVE because of my addiction. I blame my wife for my current situation...because of that fateful Christmas that she bought me the best gift I ever got...that first Visor Deluxe. Please help to enable my addiction and award me that fine machine known as the LifeDrive Mobile Manager! Thanks!

I have a relatively short history with PDAs. By chance I did get a Sony Clie SL10 for free, and with that I learned howe useful a PDA was to me. The greyscale screen of the SL10 was not very good, however, and I bought a Tungsten TE, which I am still using. I really could do now with a new one, so a Lifedrive would be most welcome!

I was a member of the U.S. Coast Guard maritime salvage team in 1997 and we used to take large planners out on the casualty scene with us that contained important contact numbers, salvage engineering calculations, and paper to record events. We then contacted US Robotics and they sent us two 3COM Pilot 1000 units to assist with our work. I replaced my Franklin Planner and other resources with the Pilot 1000 in the summer of 1997 and found it to be a valuable resource when standing on the deck of a grounded ship.

I have since moved on to own the Palm III, Palm IIIx with Axxpac expansion module, Palm IIIc (I still remember the joy of getting my first color device), Palm Vx, various Sony CLIE devices, Tungsten T3, and now the Treo 650.

Check out http://www.palmsolo.com for the ramblings of a PDA addict.

I followed handhelds for a while before I finally broke down and bought a Handspring Visor when they first came out. The device was beautiful, iMac-ishly green before there was such a thing, and expandable with the Springboard port. Fast and furious, a beautiful flagship product!

"It's the way of the future!" I cheered, before investing as much as my meager college income allowed in Handsping stock. It was high -- in the 50s, if I recall -- but "it's a bargain at any price! Everyone will have one of these in a few short years."

While I may have been ultimately right about the ubiquitous-ness of handhelds (thank's in no small part of Handspring's future baby, the Treo) I was wrong about the stock. I think it dropped 40 points a week after I bought it (it felt that way, anyhow) before being gobbled up by Palm.

I'm a PalmOS junkie. I think it's a brilliant operating system, and does what it does perfectly. But Palm the company? I wonder if the executives make their decisions with a Ouija board, or just use the old coin-flip method, because for such a young company, they managed to make some of the stupidest moves in business history. (I'm sure they would agree with my assessment.)

Thankfully, on this, the 10th Anniversary, they seem at last on the right track, with the Palm TX and the Treo line. I'm a 650 addict... losing it would be like losing a chunk of brain.

Anyway, since I had faith when Wall Street didn't, I deserve free stuff. At least a tote bag! Something? Hello?

My first palm was the original US Robotics Palm Pilot. It was a hand me down from my Dad. Since then i have enjoyed several Palms, but when my last one broke I have been saving up money to by a new one. I have set my sights on the lifedrive, because it is the best palm on the market.

I actually came across my palm per chance. I've always been interested in them and even bought my father one a few years back for his birthday, but he never put it to use. However, when I came home this past Winter break he had upgraded to a Tungsten (I think what I bought him back around 99 was a Palm III). He had a Clie sitting on the side of his desk that had not been used in a while. Turns out he bought it for his fiance, but he later upgraded her from a SJ to a TJ series Sony Clie. Well, since I had been in the market for a pda (I don't like paper organizers)I asked for it and I've been using it for the past few months. It's pretty convenient, except for the fact that it's running OS 4. I'll be upgrading sometime this summer either to a TX or LifeDrive. I like the fact that they have bluetooth, wifi (useful @ school), and an updated OS. I know that the Palm OS won't be moving forward and that the ALN OS should be out sometime in the future, but the current palms will suit my needs just fine for the next year or two I imagine. Besides, there might be a price reduction as a result...who knows? A student like myself needs all of the discounts he can get.

I remember when the first Palm came out - I was fascinated
by it and felt this was the "wave of the future". Unfortuantely,
could not afford one....

Then I got a special offer for a software renewal that stated
if I did the renewal early would get a Palm 1000..did...It came
in..My boss heard about it....My boss got it....Sigh...Since
have owned a Palm V, Sony Clie and a Zire 72

Three years ago, I had only heard people talking about "Palm Pilots" but didn't really know exactly what they were. At Christmas time, I was desperately trying to think of something that I could get for my husband. He's into electronic device sort of things; mainly computers. I got online and started searching for a gift. I went to the Circuit City online store and browsed through the electronics area. I saw some Palm branded PDAs. I looked up the term PDA because I didn't even know what that was! I read about each Palm device that Circuit City had to offer. I especially liked the way that the Zire 71 looked. It had a beautiful blue color and I thought it was so neat that it had a digital camera! So I researched the Zire 71 by going to message boards and finding reviews online. Once happy with all that I'd read, I went ahead and ordered the Zire 71. On Christmas morning, my husband opened his gift and had no idea what it was. I explained to him what it was and what all it could do. He was very pleased! Well, I became so interested in his Palm device that I almost forgot about the nice 5.3 megapixedl digital camera that he'd gotten me for Christmas. I loved my camera but it just didn't compare to that Palm device. I knew that I had to have one of my own! I began to read everything about Palm PDAs that I could get my hands on! I was obssessed! I researched many Palms and I really liked the Tungsten E. It seemed to have everything that I as a beginner would require. So I ordered one! I loved it!!!!! It was a really great device! I've been addicted to Palms and all other PDAs since the Christmas of 2003! I'm so happy that I discovered Palms! Now I don't know what I would do without one! I use my Palm to set alarms to remind me to take my daily medications, I read ebooks, I listen to MP3s, I show off my photos, I play games continuously, and I jot down notes and appointments. These PDAs to me are the greatest things ever! I'm truly amazed at how far the Palm device has improved in the short three years that I've been using them! I really look forward to seeing all the newest designs and improvements in the years to come!!!!!!

In the late 90's I was having a great time developing solutions and fixing things for people at work, but it was in turn developing some problems for me. Like lots of people, when dealing with thorny issues, my brain seems to work on them even when I'm not actively thinking about them, awake or asleep, and will occasionally present solutions or new ideas about them at inopportune times. In order not to lose them, I took to carryng a pencil and notepad with me at all times. This was fine during the day, but my turning on the light in the middle of the night to capture a thought was getting old with my wife.

Also, when at work I would often get deep into a problem a co-worker was having with his or her computer and lose track of time, resulting in my missing meetings I needed to attend. To resolve that I was setting my watch alarm multiple times a day, only to then be faced with the problem of trying to remember where I needed to be.

I knew I needed something to help with these challenges, and tried a number of different devices over the years, only to have them fail in one way or another. Then I started reading about the Palm Pilot.

At first I was pretty skeptical. It seemed like a lot of money to pay for what I thought was essentially just an electronic day timer. That all changed the day that I learned that more software could be loaded onto it, and started exploring the treasure trove of programs available. I bought a IIIx back in March of '99 and haven't looked back since.

Nowadays I carry a T3. When I wake up with an idea, I can write it or type it with my bluetooth keyboard without disturbing my wife. When away from my desk, the alarms remind me of where I should be. In fact, since I occasionally am outside between buildings on our campus with my Palm stuck in a pocket under my coat, the vibrating alarm has proven so valuable that it prevents me from upgrading to newer devices that lack this feature. I can even capture ideas on the fly or record brain storming sessions with the voice memo feature.

Needless to say, Palm pdas have revolutionized my business life. They've been at least part of the reason for some of the success I enjoy today. Thanks, Palm!

My 1st Palm Pilot was the USR Palm IIIxe with 2 meg of ram. I’ve gone through many additional units: 505, 515, tungsten T2, T3, lifedrive and finally my current unit a TX. While admitting to my desire to have the latest and greatest gadget, I have passed the previous units down to my wife and family members.

I usually carry my pda everywhere I go, especially now that the device is my photo album, MP3 player and for remote email and web browsing, eating lunch a Panara’s (free WI-FI hotspot) I’ve even used the Palm to play music (deejay) family gatherings thru a PA system – sounds great! Truly the Palm PDA is the “swiss army knife”of the digital world!

I like everything about the TX, with the exception of not having a microphone and vibrating alert. 2 of the best things that Palm brought out with the introduction of the Tungsten line. I miss the ability to voice-record “on-the-fly” of important meetings, conf. Calls, etc.

If the TX HAD those 2 items, it would be the PERFECT PDA, bar none!

I have a lifedrive but have discontinued using it because it’s too bulky for what it offers, I find that most photos, music and files will fit on a 1 gig SD card. As the price drops on 2 & 4 gig cards, It will have the same capacity as the life drive. (and NO MOVING PARTS) If Apple can squeeze 30 to 60 gig in their IPOD in a small form factor, why can’t Palm build a lifedrive to similar specs??

My biggest gripe with Palm is it takes them too long to bring out “much asked for” improvements at a decent price point! The best example is WI-FI and how long the wait was to have it included with Bluetooth, which by the way is not very bennetial, unless you would happen to have a Bluetooth compatible cell phone – very few on the market have it, in only the most expensive models.

My hat is off to US Robotics…and Palm for creating a market for something few people knew they needed and now can’t live without! I even use the alarm feature to wake me up every morning! For Including all the most important applications included, datebook, contacts, to-do’s, etc. Another great thing about the Palm platform was all the great freeware, shareware that has been written for palms since it’s introduction. Literally thousands of applications for almost any interest or activity. Not to mention how small the code overhead has been (low memory heap) in comparison to all the bloated Microsoft stuff. Add to that Palm’s decision to include Documents to Go, being it’s “killer App” to replace your PC and retain access to important files, at a moment’s notice Like several other postings, I’m often the one, folks look to when they need someone’s phone number, because I always have the Palm with me.

Lastly, through all the changes in Palm OS over the past 10 years, I can STILL copy my contact list to my original Palm IIIxe – Fantastic backward compatibility!!! Try that with a 10 year old PC!

I bought a Palm II Personal way back in July 1998. Was the second in my company of 400 to own one.

I used it constantly...it was like a key function of my Linux-centric world...Constant downloads of all those little apps I found useful reading all the latest computer news using iSilo on the Palm while on the go with the little Palm-companion.

Eventually upgraded that Personal to the Professional with just an add-on card...did the same to upgrade it to the equivalent of a III.

And guess what, I've been using that Palm to this very week. And it still runs!

I'd been tempted to upgrade to the Tungstens...but then the microphone feature was dropped, and I just can't find the left over T-2's and T-3's anywhere to buy now that I'm ready for something better.

So as of this week, I jumped ship...I bought a Dell Axim X51v, often called the cutting edge of PDA's right now. Don't get me wrong...I think the PalmOS is superior. Actually so is Linux running on a PDA--but Sharp doesn't import to the US or Canada for that!

What's going to happen to that first PDA--my wife is going to use it...it'll still keep on ticking. And the future will only determine whether my new Mobile-Windows PDA will match the good old Palm in durability; I should not fail to mention how many times that Palm II got dropped and yet kept running!

I can vividly remember the day, looking at our Sinclair ZX80 and thinking “if we could only get a TV small enough to attach on to this thing we could carry it around”. Youthful ambition, but highly impractical. Move a decade ahead, while reading articles about the future Apple Newton I knew that I was looking at the answer to the mess of paper notes and eraser ruined calendars that were in piles around my office. Well Apple never came through with a price I could afford (“who Apple?” is yelled from the crowd). But then came The Pilot (loud cheers and applause from the crowd). Within the first few weeks of sales I purchased the Pilot 1000 and have been hooked ever since.

My story isn’t so much about how these little devices have helped me, but how well it fit with the way I work and how I have been able to explain the concept to other people. Countless numbers of my friends and associates are now using Palm Pilots because I was able to explain to them that the genius of the Palm Pilot is that it is as simple as an improved piece of paper. Taking the same tasks and processes that we did with paper and giving us computer speed, storage, and adaptability. Computer companies have been trying to make computers smaller for us to use for this means. But taking a device, that by design is infinitely expandable, and trying to make it smaller, you are left with to much overhead. Jeff and the crew engineered a device that gave solutions to the true need of a personal digital assistant, not a device that could cure cancer.

I enjoyed looking at an old manual and seeing how they described the reset button in the Pilot Handbook:
“Under normal use, you should never have to use the reset button.”
Well, not everything is perfect.

I met my high school sweetheart the week I got my PalmPilot Professional in 1998. She was so pretty, so thin, and did everything I asked quickly -- the PalmPilot, that is! Eight years later, I still have a Palm -- a Treo 650 -- that I use to remember my high school sweetheart's (and now wife!) anniversary!

When in College a friend of mine (nick name: Rich Boy) had an Apple Newton that he was using and could not figure out how to use it. I later bought it from him (installment plan) and found it to be a very interesting devise. The Apple Newton had very nice user interface and included a phone jack in the back to dial in to business networks to get your e-mail. Being in college this didn’t apply to me, but I found out for the first time how useful a PDA was. I really liked the Apple Newton, but since Apple decided to discontinue it, I was left to look for something bigger and better. When I finished college and got a job I was again in the market for an upgrade. Later I made the switch to Palm IIIc (waited for the first color screen)
Since then I have owned: Palm M505, M515, Compaq Ipaq H3970, Sony Clie NZ90, HP 5500, went back to Sony NZ90, Toshiba E800, Palm T3, Palm LifeDrive, back to Palm T3….in that order.

I went back and forth from Pocket PC to Palm because of features such as Wifi and Bluetooth which I use extensively during travel for work. So my obsession with PDA’s came during college using a then $1000 PDA that I bought for a fraction of the price from a friend who didn’t know how to use it.

I bought my Palm 1000 at clearance in ’98 to replace a sharp Zaurus 350 that I had. As I remember the palm was smaller and more compact so I thought it would be better for traveling. Soon after I got the Palm III up grade card and a modem and was happy that I could get email from my hotel rooms (I traveled a lot)
In 2000 some low life scum stole the P3 so I had to buy a Palm IIIC oooohhhh color nice as well as the additional memory. Read the Hobbit, and Lord of the rings with Isilo in the evenings in hotel rooms. (I traveled a lot)
In ’01 the wife sprung for a 505 which suffered terminal battery failure only 5 months later so I got a 515 and finally in ’05 I got a TX which likes to reset for no apparent reason, any thoughts on that? I don’t travel any more but can’t live without my “brain”

I think therfore I am overqualified to work here....

My friend Brian showed me his Palm Pilot while giving me a tour of the Foothill College Observatory in 1997. I have turned other people on to Palms ever since. I am always bringing them to conferences and seminars, usually attached to a fold-up keyboard. I tell the curious, "it's the world's smallest laptop". I bought a Pilot Personal and have been a Palm fan ever since. I have owned a Personal, Professional, Palm IIIe, M100, M105 and Zire 71. Recently purchased 5 Palm IIIs for $5.00 each at a surplus store.

My first Palm was a Vx I got in 1999(?) in residency. As a medical student I walked around with my lab coat bulging full of books so I could have any reference I needed at my fingertips. With my Vx, I had the 5 Minute Clinical Consult, Taracson's Pharmacopeia, Eponyms, MedRules, MedMath, and PregWheel. Each time I read a chapter in a text, or a new article, I summarized it in a memo. All this would just fit on my Vx with JackFlash. I went from hauling about a cubic foot of junk around to just my Vx. Action Names was sooo helpful organizing my busy life as an OB/GYN resident. I had one of those all emcompassing affairs with my first Palm like I had with my first car at age 16.

Fast forward to 2006. I have my TX with all the info I need. I have >100MB RAM (like a wet dream in the days of OS 3.5) I have prepared lectures in PowerPoint on my SD card so I can speak at Grand Rounds in a moment's notice after loading them onto the projector. I need to get one of those SanDisk SD cards that have a USB plug-in. My WiFi allows me to access one hospitals mainframe so I can look up labs, current vitals, or pretty much anything I want on my patients.

I absolutely love my Palm. It would be a shame to see the whole thing go the way of the Newton. I'm waiting for my dream machine--some like an E2 w/ 320x480 and a phone. No keyboard. BT would be nice for a cordless headphone. Put a clamshell cover on it. Oh please, please!

My first palm was a Palm III which had previously belonged to my dad who, after dropping it from 5 feet, stopped using it. i asked him if i could have it if i fixed it. and i did. of course now i can't really go opening up modern-day pdas, but that's what got me started.

My list of handhelds:

Palm III
Palm IIIxe
Palm m100
Sony Clie NR70
Sony Clie NX70V
Sony Clie NX80V

(kind of got addicted to the clam shell...) but i'm sure i would get used to a life drive real quick. :)

My Palm Pilot Story.

One of my buddies at work had a handspring that he was always pulling out. I used to mock him about his $300 organizer and say my $4.95 paper planner did the exact same thing and I never had to worry about it crashing. My buddy would just laugh and say "You'll figure it out eventually".

Fast forward 6 months and our company was looking for a way to gather remote data. We had purchased a couple of laptops, win CE devices and a Palm IIIxe to test. It was my task to evaluate the bunch of them and come up with recommendations.

Less than a week later I knew exactly why my friend was so hooked on his handspring. My trials left my formally skeptical self so convinced at how great these Palm OS devices were that not only did I give my full out recommendation for them, but I also immediately went out and bought a Palm IIIxe for myself and a Sony Clie for my wife.

And the best news? It's now 5 years later and we haven't looked back! My wife and I (and many friends & family now too) are still hooked and my old company now has several hundred Palm PDAs happily gathering data in the field.

Thanks Palm!

This adventure started... about two months ago.
I read an article about palm devices (in computers magazine)and this is how I become a lover of liquid touchscreen and rest of my V-lady.
But first I become to wonder how much this kind of gadget must cost: I checked an auction site and seen a genuine palm Vx. I was totally shocked, it cost about 25 $ so suddenly I placed the bid. After four hours I got a message that I am an owner of Vx.
Waiting about one week for your palm is not a wasted time- you always can check forums and palm sites for totally unneeded software and lots of godgets at shop sites.
After I got my palm right in my hands I did ordered a keyboard and hard case.
In effect my school examine in maths was A-graded. Thanks to calc and memo pad of course.
I am still seearching... for something I can collect. This grayscale lady is not so young I would like so, but I accept her and she gives me love I could not imagine. She's even cooking, collecting my messages and looking for new amusements to me. I love her much- my dear V.x.
(By the way, I have seen a Vx gps receiver, and she told me to order it, so we could make a long trips, only we, in forest... I have nothing to say- now I am placing a bid.)
What can you do for love?

My first Palm; a Palm III given to me for Christmas back in 1998 (could it have been that long ago?). I guess that side of the story lacks originality. What was remarkable was the price my brother paid for it. Being an IT professional, he was invited to a Gartner conference, at the end of which they offered a special deal - Palm III for $300AU (that was less than $180US at the time). Incredible price for Australia (sadly never repeated by Gartner and probably the last occasion they ever backed Palm!) Without even thinking he bought one for himself and, knowing my fascination with gadgets, one for me for Christmas. Thus I was given a head start into the world of PDAs. Australia seemed very slow in the uptake of these devices. I attracted an enormous amount of interest with this baby strapped to my belt. Being a geek never felt cooler. I'd always attract at least one inquisitive onlooker in a shopping centre just by whipping out the ole Palm III and reading Avantgo off-line articles (much to the frustration of my then finance). I always kept the flashiest applications at my fingertips for just such occasions. I even read my wedding speech from my Palm III, and used it to remotely send emails while in Europe (albeit wired to my mobile via a $120AU cable!). Since then my Palm has evolved from III – IIIc – m505 – TT – T3. My wife inherited each iteration and destroyed each in turn. My poor Palm III sits in my draw still – its screen doesn't work and its stylus recess has been cracked open – but I can't bring myself to toss it out.

The history of my palm goes back to Palm IIIe when I was still a high
school student. I have been a palm addict ever since.
I got married my palm a few years back and I sleep with my palm
every night.
Call me flirtatious and a playboy if you want but I change my wives at a
rate of 2.33 wives every year. (i.e. I have been marrying and divorcing
at least two wives every year) It will be great if I can add a sexy and intelligent chick (LifeDrive) to my collection for me to ogle at and enjoy everyday.

I SIMPLY LOVE PALM!

Here is the history of my wives:
Palm IIe, Palm IIIxe, Clie S300, Palm m125, Clie S500C, Clie N700C, Clie N750C, Clie T615, Clie NR70/J, Palm m505, Palm Tungsten C, Clie UX50/J, Clie SJ30, Palm Tungsten T2, Palm Tungsten W, Clie TG50/G, Palmone Zire 72, Palmone Zire 72s, Treo 600, Treo 650, Palm TX

As long time Daytimer and Franklin planner user my first PDA was a Sharp Wizard OZ-7000, a gift from my brother. It was a cool device but because the keyboard was in alphabetical order it was difficult to input information. I decided to start researching the various PDA's that were available at the time. The first PDA that I looked at was the Apple Newton. They seemed very cool and I had pretty much decided that's what I was going to get.

About the same time I was looking at PDA's we had two Apple reps come to our IT Department to talk about the latest from Apple. Both reps had Newtons and Powerbooks but they both wrote on pads of paper during the meeting. Not even using the Newton to schedule our next meeting. Then I had gone to Apples local office for a seminar and someone there had a Newton but he really couldn't show me much. Now I was having second thoughts about the Newton, I didn't want it to sit in my briefcase unused like the Wizard.

I later went to a small local conference and I ran into a guy who had a Casio Cassiopeia WinCE handheld computer. I asked him how he liked it, he didn't like it very much. He showed me a couple of things but again I needed something I could use.

So by now I had to decide to get either a laptop, WinCE handheld or a Palm Pilot. I was at a office supply superstore looking at the Palm Pilots when a woman asked me if I needed any help. Turns out she was a US Robotics rep and she showed me her Palm Pilot 5000, the Palm Pilot Pro was out but she hadn't upgraded yet. She showed me her schedule and all of the features of the Palm Pilot. Finally, a PDA owner who actually used their PDA! Soon after I was a satisfied Palm Pilot Pro owner, and have been ever since. I miss the original Grafitti. I even found that when I had to write on paper I was writing in Graffiti!

My second Palm Pilot was the Palm III that I opened up and upgraded the memory. I purchased the attachable modem and LandWare keyboard for input at my office. I'm currently using a Zire 71 with Iambic Agendus, Natara DayNotz and Bonsai,DataViz Documents to go, Bits 'n Bolts BackupMan as well as a few applications from TealPoint Software (and maybe a game or two). I use two different cases, a sweet EB Cases Slipper case and a Wenger PDA case that holds a notepad as well as various stylus that I have. I am looking forward to upgrading soon. I fell in love with the LifeDrive when it came out, but alas it is yet to be.

All of these years with the Palm the input is fast and easy compared to other devices. I used to be a Microsoft Exchange Administrator and we deployed BlackBerry's, but I found that I was just using it for e-mail, the third party applications were lacking, so I used the Palm for everything else. Even the Microsoft manager that visited us during our Windows 2000 rollout had a Handspring Visor. I bought a Windows PDA just to test for a customer but the bugs, slow response and crashes were too much to deal with. Doing research, seeing how other people used their PDA'a and even using other PDA's always led me to Palm.

I was fascinated by the PalmPilot when it first came out. My wife's company was giving PalmPilot Personals to their employees in 1998. Fortunately for me, there was one lady who was not going to use hers. I bought hers for $160 - I had a fantastic new toy. My friend introduced me to EuroCool.com, which had plenty of freeware (with ratings too). I was hooked!

Soon I was running out of RAM (thanks to AvantGo), and the Palm III came out. I upgraded both my wife's and my Palm Personal with the 2MB+IR kit for $50 each. Now we were both styling.

The Visor Deluxe came out, and I had to have that for the 8MB RAM and the better screen. I bought a blue one for $250 in the year 2000. I was actually putting pictures on my handheld, and the Visor's screen was much better than the Palm's. Eventually, RAM started filling up, and I had to get a MemPlug CF and a 128MB CF card.

In 2002, I got the itch for a color handheld. For a mere $270, thru Dell, I got a Visor Prism. I was able to reuse my MemPlug. Color pictures and Kinoma movies were my thing.

All was fine until my 40th birthday in 2004. I was looking to upgrade, and my brother-in-law was considerate enough to gather money from all of my friends to buy me a Zodiac2 for my birthday. What a gift! This thing was powerful - graphics co-processor and 128MB RAM! I enjoyed that until it got stolen in 2005 :(

After drooling over the new Palm models, I finally decided to get another Zodiac2. I paid $300 for it in 2005. Still loving it.

I also upgraded my wife to a Palm m500 in 2000, then a Tungsten E for Christmas 2004. I "redeployed" her m500 for my own GPS duties, since I got an m5xx GPS sled for my 40th birthday from another friend. Unfortunately, that got stolen with my first Zodiac2. I am currently GPS-less :(

In all of these years, I also got into Palm bulletin boards, and logged >2000 messages at PalmBlvd.com under JohnKes. Ask me anything about any Palm or Visor running OS4 or below. Sorry I have not kept up with OS5 handhelds. I post a bit at PDAlive.com, but not as often these days.

That is my Palm story.

JohnKes

If I recall correctly the first time I saw a Palm was in the hands of our Principal Trumpet. He was quite a modern guy, Korean but grew up in Inner Mongolia, and was always ahead of the gang when it came to computer technology.

I was most interested in the Palm's ability to display books. There had been a recent ban in our Orchestra against newspapers and magazines on the stands, and hours of staring at the 3rd flute's bald spot was beginning to get to me.

So next chance I had I trucked off to Hong Kong, and after managing to extract myself from the bowels of the subway system found the small Palm repair shop on Nathan Road, palm-center.com. There I picked up an old b/w Clie for 800 HKD and I was in business! No more boring rehearsals for me; 20 measures rest? Down goes the horn, up comes the Palm, and I am deep into "Discworld." I could always rely on Feng Hai to give me a nudge when we were supposed to play.

It spread. First the Principal horn dug up a m500 from somewhere, the 2nd horn bought a new T2 in Shanghai and worked his way through the whole Dark Tower series. After a tour to Hong Kong the Principal Trombone and Oboist were proudly displaying theirs . . .

Now I'm in a different world, studying at the Changsha University of TCM, but with the PlecoDict Chinese-English-Chinese program my 2-year old T|E is more important then ever. A couple of the Japanese exchange-students have been asking about it lately, impressed by the handwriting feature . . . lets see what they come back with after summer break!

Henry

My first palm was the Palm Pilot Professional by US Robotics. Palm did not exist as a company then. US Robotics was subsequently bought by 3Com and then spit out as Palm.
The PalmPilot professional was the first palm model (except for the PalmPilot personal which was identical but with less memory). It was amazing to me. No boot time, instant on feature changed the lifestyle of many including myself. True, there were other custom pda's around at the time, but no platform that was low power and on which you could do your own development.
I carried for quite a bit until I got a Sony Clie T-415. Then I gave the Palm to a friend to experiment for underwater use.
The Sony Clie added one big feature. The JOG Dial. I wish all Palms have this. This really eased one-handed operation. When my Clie's screen cracked in my pocket recently, I got a Tungsten E2. I miss the jog dial, and I find Graffiti 2 to be slow.
I would like a Palm based phone running on linux. I will not buy a Windows CE based device or a Palm device that will soon be extinct. I'm waiting for my linux phone made by Palm.

My first Palm was a Palm III, issued to me at work. It was a great piece of equipment. I loved it! It immediately replaced the bulky daytimer that I used to carry. I've loved how the display came up instantly and I could access all the information I needed right away, unlike my PC or laptop. I had tried using my laptop to store my schedule, address book, and crucial info but it was so frustrating! Boot up time for a laptop, especially back then was a several minute endeavor. I have a T5 now, and it holds everything I used to keep on my PC: music, games, Word and Excel docs, Bible, books, pictures, videos, etc. It dials my Bluetooth phone, I jot down notes on it, I send text messages from it. I carry my Palm and my cellphone everywhere I go.

Pete

my palm story may seem simple, the first palm i use was the summer of 2002, i dont remember the name, but i do remember it had gray scale 160x160. My dad's coworker came over and showed me how to play MineSweeper on it, i was hooked, so i got a cheep RadioShack organizer, but i did like how it didn't have an address field, so a year later i got a sharp organizer, to-do, contacts, memos, backlight, and pc sync! about 10 months later the screen broke, bye-bye. A few months later a co-worker gave my grandma the circa 1996 palm clone, she gave it to me and i used it for school, then the screen broke. that summer i got a Zire 31 amazing 160x160, 14.2MB, color screen! There's enough room, how could i fill it up? (Answer: Easily, with all my school apps, Doc2Go, Angedus, Dictionaries, Spell Checkers etc). Now I've got a thrust for more, But as a ninth grader the molaa is out of question, I don't even have a PC.

my palm story may seem simple, the first palm i use was the summer of 2002, i dont remember the name, but i do remember it had gray scale 160x160. My dad's coworker came over and showed me how to play MineSweeper on it, i was hooked, so i got a cheep RadioShack organizer, but i did like how it didn't have an address field, so a year later i got a sharp organizer, to-do, contacts, memos, backlight, and pc sync! about 10 months later the screen broke, bye-bye. A few months later a co-worker gave my grandma the circa 1996 palm clone, she gave it to me and i used it for school, then the screen broke. that summer i got a Zire 31 amazing 160x160, 14.2MB, color screen! There's enough room, how could i fill it up? (Answer: Easily, with all my school apps, Doc2Go, Angedus, Dictionaries, Spell Checkers etc). Now I've got a thrust for more, But as a ninth grader the molaa is out of question, I don't even have a PC.

It is funny how I got into the PDA world. A friend of mine came to school and showed me a Palm VII he had found on a car wash. He didn't know how to use it, well I didn't either. I had heard about "Palm Pilots" but I never showed interest for anything related to them since they were black and white or should I say green and black and I had in mind they were only like a simple organizer with no graphics capabilities. Anyways, my friend gave it to me since he had no use for it and this is how my addiction started.

The VII had run out of batteries so there was no information about the owner, thus I couldn't return it so it was all there for me, ready to find out all I could do with it which I was of course not aware of. First I learned to use the grafitti thanks to the grafitti sticker. I discovered that it had a backlight!! I learned the "beaming" concept. I was really amazed I could interchange appointments between my Palm and my Cellphone using the infrared port. Best of all came when I rolled out the Palm's antenna and found out that it had wireless internet access!!! That's right, the previous owner of the VII had subscribed to the Palm.net internet access and it was totally awesome! Imagine at that time wireless internet was barely known. I learned on the internet all I could do with a Palm, but all relied on the "HotSync" for that I needed the cable, so after some time I had the money and I finally bought it. That day changed my life, I installed ICQ which I was the IM I used at that time. I installed many applications and games. I proved my self wrong about Palms not having graphics but man, this Palm did not have a black and white screen but a 16-level grayscale. I downloaded some pictures and they looked awesome. One of the applications that drove me nut was OmniRemote. Wow universal remote controller!!!

It was an awesome experience to learn from a PalmVII. Unfortunately the internet subscription ran out apparently, I had no money nor credit card to subscribe again so I could not use the internet anymore. Despite of that I continued learning and enjoying my Palm until I lost it somewhere... I know it is sad, somebody stole it perhaps.

Some time later an uncle showed me a present he had been given. An amazing and colorful Palm m505. Since he knew I had one he told me tell him what that thing was. I was really excited and told him all he could to with it. He said he had no use for it and that he wouldn't take advantage of it. He knew I didnt have my previous Palm anymore and he gave the m505 to me!!!!

Wow, I had another Palm, a color screen Palm! It was beautiful, so sleek and elegant. I learned even more from it. It had an extremely long range for Omniremote. It was really fast for games I even downloaded some emulators. It had no multimedia capabilities but I managed to get some music (distorted) from it using Netmite and I could watch videos using gMovie Player.

At that time I could do many things with my m505 but on the other side PocketPCs showed some powerful capabilities, specifically multimedia capabilities which made my m505 look old. The sad moment came when a few drops of water got into my Palm's screen. I was really scared and just shooke it a lot to get the water out. It got worse since the water got even deeper and the digitizer got weird. I tried everything to dry it out but even after some years later the water still can be seen under the screen. I could not use it anymore.

It was the time to finally buy a PDA by myself. Perfect opportunity to get a PocketPC. I had to get money somehow, my dad would not buy me something that "expensive" so I started washing cars and saving money that my dad gave me. While I was still "recollecting" money I the Sony Clie UX50 came out. Oh my Gosh!! What the hell is a PocketPC? The Clie was amazing! A clamshell design, a thumb keyboard, wifi & bluetooth, half VGA screen, digital camera/camcorder, video and mp3 player and a whole lot more! I had to buy it but I still didn't have enough money. I read a lot of reviews, I was really excited. I had downloaded many programs for it even though I didn't have it, so when I could buy it I would already have them. I even downloaded a UX50 emulator to see what it looked like. The time passed by and I didn't have enough money yet so that I could buy it. All I could do was going to Bestbuy and use it there. The screen was gorgeous, the lit-keyboard was so nice. Everything turned gray when I went to BestBuy to use it there as always but... It was not there anymore!! Okay I will just go to CircuitCity, same thing!! It was sold out or what? No, it was discontinued and I didn't buy it!!! I was really sad. I could still buy it online buy I didn't have the money. Then the TH55 came out, it was $100 cheaper than the UX50 and it was almost identical, it was only missing the bluetooth, the keyboard and of course the form factor. I had the money to buy it since it was cheaper and I got it. It was elegant, what can I say. It was the most incredible gadget ever for me but everytime I thought about the UX50 I felt sad. Anyways I learned a lot from it also and to make the story short I've used it for almost two years. The screen cover lid broke out, the camera doesn't work anymore shows a "multimedia error", the wifi is weird also, even a hard reset doesnt seem to help. Screen and paint is really scratched. I really need a new PDA, but again money is a problem for me since I'm still a student without a job.

The Lifedrive would definately keep my Palm story growing and I would definately like to win it. I hope I am lucky enough to win it. :)

Congratulations Palm on your 10th aniversary!!

I've always been the gadget guru around work. But I'm consantly looking for the latest and best. When LifeDrive was announced, I thought this would be my next PDA. but life doesn't always work out the way you plan and I haven't been able to muster the funds or convince my boss to buy me one. Yet everyone around me asks what to buy and I've been pointing them at the lifedrive. They ask me why I don't have one yet and I can't give them a reason. Last month someone in another department was given a lifedrive as reward for all he's done for them. But I've done at least as much.
Secondly, There are so many things I want to do but can't because my NX60 has such a limited memory. I use it to pipe music into the sound system at church, to organize my life at work and home, I keep my mind shard with sudoku and keep track of emails and todos... but all this is done with my hands full of memory cards and my charger kept close at hand. Please free me from these.

Ken Williams

Sony NX60.

I am therefore I think.

Every day in 1993 and 1994 I had to take a metal fireproof briefcase from the building where I worked to another building where we had offices. The briefcase contained hard copies, some on continuous greenbar, and diskettes containing the corporations’ cash position, investment positions for the corporations and for each in-house mutual fund, trading limits in these portfolios, cash movement limits, master brokerage and bank account lists for corporate accounts, copies of legal opinions, contracts, signature cards, master contact lists and more. Each trader had to take home copies of their portfolio positions and a diskette each night. Each Treasury manager had to do the same for their area.

It was a lot of paper and diskette corralling and very time consuming. But it was very important for Emergency Contingency Planning. We had been through the 1989 earthquake and had physically moved a PC in a supermarket cart almost to the Federal Reserve to be able to transfer funds and meet NYSE/SEC Rules before we were called back because there were power and phone lines assured.

That briefcase was heavy and the trip took a one block walk to the subway, down two flights in, up two flights out, another block to the other building, going through security, just to swap for the briefcase from one week ago. Then there was the trip back and more security. There had to be a better way.

I’d pick up Computer Currents in the newsrack by the subway whenever I saw a new issue. One day I saw an ad for a Psion 3a and decided to investigate. I had been successful in obtaining Visio as a trial, bypassing IT and their standards stonewalling, and having it accepted as a corporate standard. Why not a portable computer? This would certainly be easier on the traders and managers (and me) with a spreadsheet and all their contact information instead of all that paper and it could connect to the serial ports on their computers.

I lobbied my boss and a week later there was a box on my chair when I came back from lunch. There it was–and it had a functional Calculator, Agenda, Database, Word, Alarm/Clock, Thesaurus, Spreadsheet, and a Digital Sound recorder/editor built in. I was instantly hooked and had to carefully guard my toy as I had no idea how large the population of closet geeks was, but they showed up. It was a delight to go to meetings with only the Psion and a pad to doodle on since there was no flowcharting. The Daytimer and Rolodex fell into a drawer, the serial cable worked as advertised. I wrote my recommendation report two weeks into my 30 day trial and was sad when it was over. Shortly thereafter the division reorganized and I left. I bought my first Palm soon after they became available, liked Graffiti better than a keyboard, and the rest is history.

Investigate new possibilities...

It was like this:

We were at our dentist for biyearly check-ups, the old wife and I, and our friend the dentist starts asking me about computers and what I would recommend he buy. Now I had an old Mac I used for teaching classes, so I tell him to make damn good and sure he buys a PC, knowing full well that if he bought a Mac I'd start getting calls in the middle of the night for "tech support" and my status would be elevated from paying patient to free computer guru, a change in title and position not indicated by my relationship with our dentist, nor likely indicative of a salubrious future.

On our next visit he’s progressed down the digital path and he showed us his 2 megabyte Handspring "Visor" which one of his computer savvy patients had suggested he buy to learn about inputting data and working with basic applications. The thing that intrigued me about the Visor was the "instant on" feature, and it was a lot smaller and handier than lugging a laptop computer around for simple computing tasks.

After seeing the “Visor” we bought a couple of Handspring, "Visor Deluxe" handhelds, and added an early Magellan GPS unit, keyboard, extra "springboard memory" and all kinds of software to the units. They were great for note taking and all kinds of tasks, and the old wife played games on hers. We bought stock in "triple A" batteries and had a great time.

Fast forward about a decade, and the dentist has owned a bunch of Mac computers -- he told me chose Macs, in spite of my recommendation to buy a PC, because he thought about the type of computers that people owned - and the people he had fun with all owned Macintosh computers... go figure. I had never heard of anyone doing a psychological profile based on using a particular computer operating system before, but at least he never called me for “midnight tech support.”

Oh, and my wife and I have continued to upgrade our PDA’s through the years, while the dentist has reverted back to carrying a sheet of notepaper in his wallet with his important phone numbers, claiming that the hassle of changing batteries or recharging a PDA caused him to lose his important data when he needed it. High tech is not for everyone...

When I was in grade 8, I begged my parents for a PDA ever since my dad planted the idea of getting a Palm in my head the summer before. A Palm IIIxe took me into the world of mobile computing.

I took it with me everywhere, loaded with games and all. It's only in retrospect that I realise that I really needed a Game Boy.

The idea of being able to browse the web wherever back in early 2001 was so fascinating, even if it was through the Avant Go browser.

A few months back, I got a brand new cell phone. Other cell phones that I've had were not IrDA capable.

Threw in some new batteries in the Palm, loaded up Blazer and with a little bit of setup, I was finally able to do what I wanted ever since the day I got my Palm. Of course the cell phone browser is in full color, but my original desire was filled nonetheless.

---
If one plays bad music, people don't talk; if one plays good music, people don't listen.

My very first experience with a palm pilot was probably in 1996 or 1997. I was about 8 or 9 years old at the time and my aunt came to visit us. About the only thing I remember about that trip was when she showed me her Palm and let me play a game (Tetris, I think) on it.
I didn't get my own PDA until 1999, when I was in fifth grade. My mom and dad bought a couple of cheap Sharp organizers, and I thought they were really neat. After my 11th birthday, I used my b-day money to buy a Sharp MemoMaster EL-6690 for $12.95 at Sam's Club. I thought that was the coolest thing in the world! It had a whole 64kb of memory, and I never could fill it up (when I bought my Palm I had over 200 memos in it along with a bunch of addresses and appointments, yet I only used about 10% of the memory)! All it had was basic PIM features like clock, alarm, calendar, schedule, telephone directory, calculator, and memo pad. It had a large thumbpad keyboard to enter data and a three line display. I carried that organizer everywhere with me and used it constantly all through sixth grade until the screen physically wore out! It started to get blank lines across it until it became completely unreadable. Thankfully, my dad had the same model organizer that he no longer used, so I started using his. I remember painstakingly copying over everything I could from one to the other by hand, and wishing I could just connect the two and send the info. Anyway, I used that EL-6690 through seventh grade until it began having the same issues.
Then I started looking for something new. I wanted to buy a really good organizer that would be dependable and last a long time. I looked for a long time at different things, from wince handhelds that were selling for <$50 on e-bay to the "high-end" sharp wizards that I could write programs for in BASIC and compile on the unit. Then my uncle got a Palm m105 and showed it to me. Other than my brief encounter above, I had never seen or used an actual Palm handheld. I thought of them as the ultimate, very expensive PDA that a Junior-higher could never afford. Then I found out that his model was $150, but they sold on e-bay for less than $100 sometimes! I was already saving up for the Wizard, which was about $60 on e-bay, so I kept saving for, and trying to get, a Palm m105. I even learned graffiti before I ever bought one, by looking it up on Palm's website and practicing on paper.
I finally got one June 22, 2001. I won the auction and paid (with mom & dad's help :)) $73.50 for it, and my digital life was never the same! I thought it was awesome! It had a touch screen, handwriting recognition (I did 30 wpm with Fellows WriteRight screen protectors), and a whopping 8mb of memory! The only problem I ever had was it always cleared my memory when I changed batteries-no matter what I did! Occasionally I could save my data by changing one battery at a time, but hey, one charge of the NIMH batteries I bought for it (also on eBay) would last at least 2 weeks. I used that Palm for everything, and brought it everywhere. It even replaced my Bible in church on Sundays. I bought all sorts of accessories for it. I had several cases, a keyboard; I even had the Porteson MP3 sled (I had a terrible time trying to find where I could get one of those!). I used it for all of eighth, ninth, and part of tenth grade. I used it ,like my other ones, until it physically wore out. The datebook button broke, the battery door latch broke, and there were several cracks/deep scratches on the casing. One day, I took off the faceplate to change the screen protector and the power button broke off! All the plastic that held it in place just broke. That's when I finally decided that I needed a new Palm.
By this time, I was well established as a PDA guru in my family and at school. I directly and indirectly influenced many people to buy Palms. I even helped my school administrator buy a Treo 90, and then my dad and I "fixed" it when he dropped it in the bathtub :). I kept up to date with all the Palm news (mainly through PIC) and knew exactly what Palm I wanted: the Tungsten|T. I still remember where I was when I first saw the T|T on Palm's website the day it was launched. I remember being blown away by the new specs and that screen and thinking, "I don't know how, but I want that to be my next Palm." So thankfully, my m105 lasted until after the T|T was discontinued. That my sound odd, but I knew that when Palm discontinued the T|T, its price on e-bay would drop significantly, and I might be able to afford it! So I started watching e-bay for a new T|T. I finally won one for $102.50 + shipping, and paid for it with another loan from M&D bank :).
Since then I have been using my beloved T|T for just about everything. I play music on it and watch videos with TCPMP. The first accessory I bought, other than screen protectors and a good case, was a Logitech ultra slim keyboard (e-bay $13). I used it with Docs to Go as an ultra compact laptop replacement during school. I take most of my class notes on it and I've written several essays and papers on it during English (and other) classes. The keyboard was also invaluable for writing programs. So I've used my T|T for most of tenth grade, all of eleventh grade and now for almost all of my senior year, and it is starting to show its age. I have had to open it up twice now to fix the digitizer and once to fix the speaker. The screen is in immaculate condition, thanks to my screen protectors, but the case has several dents in it. Thankfully the case is metal, so it dents and bends instead of cracking and breaking. Oh, and my keyboard is starting to fail, so I'm really up a creek if that completely quits :(.
Anyway, I am going to college next year to study Computer Science, and I want to get a new PDA soon before my T|T breaks again. I probably ought to get one soon, because I am going to have all sorts of college fees this summer and fall and probably won't be able to buy one then. Winning this contest would really help me by replacing my T|T and nullifying my need for a laptop with wi-fi (my T|T can't get wi-fied for college:( ) Most of the Tungsten models are staying well above the $100-$200 range on e-bay, so my upgrade path is looking to be more expensive than I can afford with college coming up :(.

I had been looking at palm pilots for a while since USR...and one time that my next bro up visited my folks he had a palm V in the hard case...(still my favorate form factor) well he needed more space (memory) so he cross graded to a handspring and got the camera modual....meanwhile I am enjoying my V enough to get a Vx off of E-bay and a Stow-a-way Keyboard and extra case for under 75 combinded...it had been EOLed for a while M5XX's had been out...I now have a T3 and Still love it

Well, my story starts with a filofax - I think they get called 'rolodex's' or something like that in the USA. The one I had I'd had for a few years and had continued to carry more and more names, addresses, diary entries and other useful info. in it. I had a problem with it though. Often I would just shove noted down addresses, phone numbers and other bits and peices into it, and just shut the fastener. These addtions to my paper filofax organiser did not however get 'purged', filtered or weeded very often...okay I don't think I ever did slim it down....As you'd imagine the thing just got bigger and bigger. All I needed was a big gust of wind and a clumbsy hand one day in the 'outdoors' and lots of useful stuff would have been well, 'gone with the wind so to speak' :-o .
I'd heard of kind of calculator like electronic address books with mini keyboards, and one day went looking for one in a local electrical store. As I poked around the stuff on dislay a wierd looking almost space age thing caught my attention. It had no keyboard and a big screen. It was in a very cool looking clear case so you could see the circuit board & stuff inside. It had a slick looking clear flip cover too. What was this ? I'd never seen anything like it. I hadn't heard of the Palm's or pda's at all at that time. I asked a chap who worked at the store to tell me more. Out came the stylus, and as best he could he ran me through what it did showing me Graffiti and all it's built in app's. It was a Palm IIIe Special Edition with 2 mb of memory. When he showed me all it could do I was well, 'gobsmacked' to use a bit of crude English slang (does that mean anything in the 'States?) - in other words I couldn't belive what I was seeing. I was amazed just what this little thing could do. It was priced at about 2 to 3 times what I'd intended to spend, and I hesitated. I was getting hot under the collar and sweaty at the exitement of this little technological wonder (sad I know). As I felt the surging urge to by it on the spot I hesitated and began heading for the shop door to mull it over at home overnight at least. Was it wise to shell out so much on something I'd never heard of, I asked myself ? As I neared the door I asked the sales chap how many of these wonder devices they had in stock. The answer came back that they had just one left.Maybe they always say that to people they see like I was - visibly hooked and dieing to justify deciding to get the credit card out !. Of course at that anxiety inducing last little factor I crumbled & bought it for fear of missing out all together....
On getting it home my brother told me I really needed a PC to plug it into to 'back it up' - which I didn't personally have then. He knew a bit about these but never told me about them before. Within hours I was hooked anyway. Surfing the web later showed me all the extra software that could be added to these Palm pda's, further building my addiction up. Despite not being able to actually Hotsync it to a PC properly for about 3 months until an unwanted but serviceable old Gateway PC came my way to Hotsync the IIIe with I never lost any data - it was that stable. Having learned about ebooks, games and other app's that could be downloaded & installed it was only a matter of time before it's memory was cram packed.. It was a freeware New Testament that did for the IIIe in the end. That and a great deal on a IIIxe about seven months later. The 8mb of memory on that unit meant I could get a full Bible in memory & just about everything else I wanted at the time..... Various Palms have followed for various reasons since. Until OS 5 the IIIe was repeatedly a reliable stand-in when other units had broken screen mishaps or electrical failures. It's survived some nasty drops & knocks and still looks great. Ironically I LIKED it as a unit more than I do my current T3...better though the T3 is in so many ways, just not all. Funny how things can turn out like that.
I wonder how I'd like a LifeDrive ? 'Fat chance with that story' I hear you say :-). Oh well if you don't try.....

My first Palm was the Pilot 1000. I wanted one to keep my schedule and contacts mobile rather than rely on Outlook and my desk computer. I quickly became the envy of my work mates. That Palm is still in operation although it is now the proud property of my grandson.

After the Pilot, I purchased the Palm IIIC color Palm and I was then hooked on using it to show off photos and even take them using a Kodak attachment. I gave that Palm to a son-in-law when I upgraded again.

Next, I purchased a Palm 505. That model was fantastic because I could expand the capacity and use Documents to Go to carry my Word and Excel documents for business. My wife still uses that Palm and loves it. The only thing I have had to do with that unit was replace the battery.

Next, I bought the original Tungsten. I gave that unit to another son-in-law but it is no longer operational and had problems caused by the slider.

Now, I have a Palm Tungsten C and regularly use it to connect to WiFi in Coffee shops and my home. I wish it had Bluetooth so I could connect it via my cell phone. I love he keyboard on that unit but would like the larger LifeDrive screen and drive capacity.

I am undecided if my next Palm will be the LifeDrive or a Treo. Perhaps before I make that decison something even better will be available.

I am sold on the Palm products and fantastic software.

Roger

When I was four years old, I took apart a Sony Walkman (and they were expensive then) but it would take a few more years before I learnt how to put things back together. The urge to see under the covers stuck and I would spend boring meetings taking apart whichever device was nearby. In what is a separate sphere of my life, I like to shop for bargains taking pleasure in realizing that if I wait 3 months that hot book will be in the bin for $2. Well on a bargain shopping trip to the University computer store, I came across a stack of Pilot 5000's, each going for the price of $199. Now this is in canadian dollars in the mid ninities, so that would be about US$120. This was cool, and it was cheaper than a Newton, much cheaper. I remember reading something in Byte magazine about them, and I thought what the heck I could at least take it apart to see what was inside. I never did take that Pilot apart, and I stopped missing appointments. It would take a few more years before I learnt to account for time properly and stop being late for appointments. That would require missing a date with a lovely lady, who to this day probably has not forgiven me.

I have over the years owned a few devices: the Pilot 5000 later upgraded with a memory card, an IBM WorkPad (aka Professional), a
Trg Pro (bought for $99), a Handera 330 (fell in a toilet), a Tungsten T (passed on to my wife), a Tungsten T5, and so on ...

It was back in 1996 when I became addicted to PDA's. My first one was a Texas Instruments Avigo PDA and I remember that I tried very hard to get it from a local dealer here in Germany, because back in 1996 they where very hard to find. After that I bought a Casio E105 PocketPC brick but boy that was a big mistake. So I got my first Palm Powered PDA, a Visor Deluxe. Since then my list of owned PDA's has grown a little bit so these devices I have used someday:
Palm m505, Visor Platinum, Clie NR70V, Yakumo Delta, Palm T2, Palm T3, T-Mobile MDA II, ipaq 1940, T-Mobile MDA compact, Palm Treo 600, Palm E2, LifeDrive, Clie TH55, Dell X50V, Palm TX, Palm Treo 650. A few times I used windows mobile devices but always came back to palm and that felt always like coming home. The Treo 650 I am using right now and I hope that I will keep it a long time, because it's near perfect in my eyes.
That was my little boring story and I wonder if anybody will read this.
Cheers

I remember the first Palm 1000.

I was just using sharp electronic organizers when all my friends were using paper organizers. I thought I was "sophisticated." Then one of my friend bought the first Palm 1000. I thought it was SO cool... able to connect to PC and never to re-enter data due to lost electronic organizers. (I frequently misplaced my sharp electronic organizer and was quickly tiring, re-entering data all over again.) I was hooked but I was only a poor starving medical student and couldn't afford $200+ "gadget." I was so ENVIOUS!!! Few years went by with my persistent envy and longing looks towards the progressing technology of PDA devices.

Then I went into residency and I remember one physician attending who was also a "gadget geek" and he showed his Palm Vx. It was love at first sight. I longed for the beautiful curves that fit right in my hand. The feel of quality and weight. it was perfect... for ME! In my meager residence earning, I was able to afford only Palm V and not Palm Vx. I was so JEOLOUS of the Vx. I thought and yearned for the extra "x." Then I decided to use that dreaded plastic called credit card and took a risk. I bought the Palm Vx. My first and my only true PDA love. I caressed it, showed it to friends and family, and boasted of its beauty and funtionality. Ohhh, I remember those days of LOVE!

Now, I'm a doctor and I've moved on to Palm m505, Clie NR 70, my trusted Tungsten T3 and now Tungsten Tx. I do love my Tungsten Tx, but sometimes when no one is looking, I take out my old Palm Vx, hold it in my hands and remenace of the good old days when my love was young and innocent...

My first Love, Palm Vx...

Manicorp
(sysong@mac.com)

One should really question into the designer's mind regarding the LifeDrive's design.

Why on earth does it have to be built-in battery (not swappable) if its targeting market is the multimedia usage? It will render the unit useless if battery runs out. I hate to speculate, but is this a way forcing customer to upgrade when battery dies out?

Why on earth does it have to be built-in microdrive, a type II CF slot will make the microdrive swappable which will not only increase the multimedia usage of LD, but also make it less vulnerable to the frequent microdrive failure.

What a pity, it could be a hit, but...

Because of these, many people won't buy it for sure, including me, but I will happily use it, if I got one for free ;)

Its actually a quite usual story - my father was using a Handspring Visor Deluxe, but then his eyesight became worse, so he got a hires color Tungsten E, and I got the Visor Deluxe. Then in half a year I bought a Good Technology mp3 module for the Visor, but it broke, so for Christmas I got a Zire 71. Now this year the Joypad in the 71 broke so I traded with my dad, who doesnt use the joypad too much for the TE. Now I have got the TE and I am quite happy with it, but waiting to get my Zire 72 off ebay.

It all started when my cousin upgraded his Palm Vx to a Sony Clie S320. Being the good cousin he was he gave the Vx to me, complete with a hardcase.

It because quite evident why he gave it away: it had a nasty scratch right in the middle of the screen. But who am I to complain, after all, with enough elbow grease the scratch just might even be removable! So I grabbed my Turtle Wax rubbing compound and fired up the dremel. When I was done the scratch was virtually gone!

That same day I had a crash course on PalmOS. I was surfing the net wirelessly via my Ericsson T39's GPRS connection. I was even able to upgrade its OS from 3.5 to 4.1! Pretty soon I was an expert at Grafitti.

From then on I realized how indispensable these PalmOS devices were.

The upgrades were inevitable so then came the Clie S320, Clie T615C, Tungsten T, Tungsten T2, to my current Tungsten T3.

Well, living in a country with relatively little technology, I was happy to hear my dad was picking up a Handspring Visor from some leaving people. I had had a love of Palm devices and PalmOS for a long time but had never actually seen or touched one, the closest was magazine pictures. I actively read every single PalmSource mailing list, scouring for more and more information.

Well, my dad had the visor for about a month or to, when it was put in the closet. Well, guess who's turn it was now? That's right I got it after about a month in the closet. My dad totally hated having to resync every time the batteries ran out. In adddition, the USB wire for the dock was in a sad state, quiting mid-sync and such.

So, this sleek, black Handspring Visor was mine. I loaded it with programs, messed around, tried all sorts of hacks, and it went everywhere with me. It followed me all the way to the 4th and 6th highest mountains in Africa, operating at sub zero temperatures. Classmates were freezing and getting hypothermia, while I was using my palm. My 'friend' as my classmates dubbed it was popular, especially SFCave (long live freeware)

Sadly, when we moved and were on a weeks holiday at the beach in kenya, I dropped it from a closet, onto a hard cement flour. I kept it but, it was soon to land in the trashcan.
Befoer school started, I figured couldn't live without a palm device, and scoured marktplaats.nl, an ebay lookalike. My parents were willing to pay and I got a new, white ice Handspring Visor, identical in software.

I upgraded the device with a 8MB Flash Springboard and that was the perfect solution to my mobile needs, till the screen stopped working. The screen started behaving weird, falling out and quiting randomly. Last weekend, I fixed it and it works reasonably well, but I have a new love.

A Palm m105 also found second hand, joined me also about a month ago. I immediately specced it out and got a cool, hot, blue cover and the foldable keyboard. The foldable keyboard is great, allowing notes and any typing, where ever, be it the train, school or home. I'm saving for a T|X but it may take a while, therefore a Lifedrive would be awesome.

My "T" with it's slider died. I tried several WinMob devices over the past year or so, but I always revert back to my Clie. You just can't beat the Zen of Palm. One of these days when I am rich and famous, I will get a new one like a lifedrive or TX.

Once upon a time, when I started at university I realized that I would need a calendar to keep track of classes, appointments, to-dos and the like. As those were the ancient filofax days of more and more sophisticated paper organizers I, too, got one of these. While it was still new and I was learning how to handle this pack of small pages, it worked for me, until .. I got used to it. Then, too, I discovered that there were shortcuts for the lazy guy: you don't have to think about the time of an appointment too much, just scribble some note into the afternoon area or, even better, put a dated to-do into the top margin of a day. Great, as long as you check your calendar on this specific day, which I, guess what, did less and less often. So I put down all my appointments, but rarely looked them up again.

Now enter a similarly computer interested friend with a Palm 5000. A cute toy, yes. And a calendar, too. I felt like I wanted one, too, but I needed a good excuse to spend the money. Finally I found it: text boxes only! ..and no way to write between the lines, a time selector that is not content with "some time in the afternoon next week", to–do lists where things undone could not escape between all the crossed out done items, etc. That should keep my shedules straight, I reasond.

As I was a poor student at that time I could only afford a broken pilot personal on ebay. It turned out that the previous owner must have spilled a coke over it: after cleaning this grandpa of the palms served me faithfully for another four years. And best of all: it really worked, and it still works. I was forced to make up reasonable times and to stay within the frame. And it was a geek toy: simply by playing with the palm I looked up my appointments and noticed that I should stop playing and finally place that important call. Well, I still manage to miss one or the other of the to-dos that I don't like, but overall the chaotic me comes closer and closer to being organized.

Well, some day the old personal would not start any more and also its replacement, a Palm IIIxe, had by now to be replaced by a replacement, a Z72s.

So, if you're chaotic like me, then get yourself such a toy, too, and the world around you will enjoy the side effects of you getting organized! (And you'll enjoy it, too :-)

I first bought a Palm IIIx many moons ago so I could carry my calendar with me instead of leaving it on my computer. In almost every meeting there was a point when everyone would whip out their DayTimers to see when another meeting could be scheduled. The company was in the transition corporate email and calendaring but opposition was rampant. Habits are hard to break.

I don't like carrying a lot of stuff with me so didn't have a DayTimer. Being an IT kinda guy, I was one of the first to actually use Outlook calendaring (or Schedule+, which is what it used to be called). So, instead of sitting there with a stupid "I dunno" look on my face every time someone asked if I could attend the next meeting since my calendar was on my computer on my desk, I learned how to sync my trusty Palm with my calendar. The rest is history.

I upgraded to a Palm m515 several years ago and have been more than please ever since. The color screen is a HUGE improvement over the old green ones. If I could just get my cell phone, Palm and iPod into one PDA I'd be thrilled!

Palm makes a great PDA. I like my TX, but the LifeDrive would be so nice to have!

The first unit I saw was a Pilot Personal on a magazine, soon I did realize a new era was beginning, not only in PIM management but also in way of communicating. However, the first purchase was not easy. In Italy there were so many reseller so I was obligated to ask a favour to a friend living in USA. He bought one piece for me (and some day after, one for him too!).
I received it after a week. It was great, innovative but very friendly. Another breakthrough there was with Palm III, its IRDA made possibile Internet connection with a mobile (Ericsson S868 with DI27 module).
Maybe Palm III, IIIx and m125 are the units I loved more.

Okay, I'm a Palmoholic - I admit it! It started with my non-palm HP-200lx which was okay at the time until I saw a colleage's Palm III. I thought what a handy gadget, and it will really help me in my job, which it did. I bought the IIIxe and I was in love. That first unit which gave me so much joy and pleasure now looks ancient. Next I bought the M505 - wow! - low-res color, can't beat it. I must say however if that unit had a high-res full size screen, it would still have been my favorite - I loved its form factor and little leather (real leather) flip cover. Throw in a 16meg SD card and add a few dozen programs and what a great time waster. Mind you, the unit really did make things better on the job, the wasted time was in addition to that part. How many of our spouces thought we were doing important things on our handhelds, when in fact we were playing Blocks, ZAP, Chess or playing with configurations...etc...etc...etc. Oh yeah, 5-10 minutes of work a day on the unit and 2-3hours of fun, and/or sometimes frustration.

Next came the Tungsten T - cool at first, but the slider got old real fast. Great screen lots of power - between PDA's, accessories and software, I think many of us where probably pushing about $2,000 at this point. Anyway, at this point I defect and go to the Clie TH55 - great unit! Won't say much more since this is a Palm contest, thank you.

Finally, enter Palm TX - great unit, I like it better (and that is saying a lot) than my TH55. It has been a fun ride - I don't regret most of it (time and money), however even though I still enjoy the fun side of it, I have really settled into using it mainly for organizing my personal and business life. After all it is a personal organizer. Now, let's see, if I did the same 6 years using a paper system, I probably would have still gotten most everything done however (and it is a big however) I would have had a lot less fun doing those things.

That's my story - good luck to all!

Tom S.

Regards, Tom S.

By the summer of 1999, I had already been unemployed for a number of months. To cheer myself up and generally get enthused about rejoining the workforce, I purchased a Palm Vx, having kept up to date with handheld technology ever since the Newton.

The sleek (non-plastic and durable), shiny exterior and multitude of cool accessories kept me occupied while searching for new work. As opposed to my drinking/commiserating friends, the Palm Vx was a healthly distraction, as well as a fine keeper of all my interview schedules, until I was re-employed half a year later.

Prospective employers also appeared impressed when I pulled it out to reference information during the interview, an unexected bonus. With my new job, the device then became a bonafide useful tool for helping remove all resulting credit card debt the following years to come.

I still consider the Palm V a trustworthy, hardworking model, the only one I needed until I purchased a Treo 650 many years later, still fully employed and debt-free. (How I miss the Palm Vx's solid, durable, more-metal cradle!)

Thanks for listening.

Mr. Peabody

When I was a kid, I used one of those credit card-sized PIM devices. It was horrible, but I like the idea of reducing paper in any way possible. When I got older, I could only drool at the Sharp Wizard, since I had no money. When I started working after college in 1997, I bought a Palm Pilot Personal for its basic PIM features. I quickly realized that it was more than a PIM device - it was a robust operating system and user interface capable of supporting many third party applications. As I looked into internet applications, I had to upgrade the device with the Professional card, which supported TCP/IP.

Since then, I went through a Visor Ice, Visor Prism, Clie NR70V, and Clie UX50. I am in the process of moving to my first smartphone, a Treo 650. I foresee that in about two devices down the line, I will be using a smartphone running ACCESS' Linux operating system, NetFront UI and brower capable of streaming videos embedded in web pages, and a Palm OS emulator to run some older applications that I have yet to upgrade to.

In the early 1990s, I kept trying little gadgets (mostly Casio) to help me with scheduling interviews and meetings for my job as a newspaper reporter. Most of the ones I tried were clumsy and not terribly useful.

In 1996, I started reading about Palm, then put out in "U.S. Robotics" labeled boxes. I bought, I believe, a Palm Pilot 1000. No backlight, very stingy amount of memory, gobbled my AA batteries, and I didn't quite know how to carry it (custom cases weren't the rage back then). I still thought it was the coolest thing ever. :)

I hung onto it until the Visors came out. I remember buying a 1MB upgrade chip for it. The trouble was, the slighest impact would pop the memory card lid open and the RAM chip would go flying. I had this very stupid habit of putting the Palm in its "half case" in my shirt pocket. The moment I leaned over to do anything: 1) the Palm slipped out and hit usually a carpeted floor, 2) the memory card lid popped off 3) the RAM chip would bounce away a couple times from my Palm Pilot. :D Despite all that, it never stopped working. I still have it gathering dust in a drawer in my computer room.

Since then I've owned three Visors (2MB, 8MB and Prism), too many now useless Visor modules, and have been really happy with my Zire 71 the last couple years. It's sad how often people are wowed by my Zire 71, and I have to inform them Palm had the bright idea to stop making it. My best friend got a Zire 72 and has had nothing but problems with it.

As a subscriber to a Brazilian weekly magazine, about four or five years ago I was sent some spam ground mail asking me to subscribe a newspaper on a two-year basis. The deal: The subscription would give me a Palm IIIxe "for free". So there was I, a mobile computer beginner with my very first handheld ever!

At first, it wasn't easy for me to get used to that monochrome stuff, let alone my hyperopic and myopic condition. Then, from that sort of handicapped point of view, suddenly I found myself before a huge panorama of hundreds and hundreds of tiny apps, hacks, tips, and tricks. How could I ever have dreamed of so much in so little? What a brave new world!

Time went by and one fine day I left old IIIxe abandoned in a drawer. Palm went PalmOne, then Palm again. And back in late 2004 I bought this Zire 72s. Well, I shoot photos and videos, I listen to MP3s, I read off-line Web pages, I can't connect to the Internet or do some other things online using Bluetooth... But what the heck! maybe soon I will have a brand-new LifeDrive!

Or should I say what the hack?

Palm Zire 72s • 256 MB SD card

Visor original for christman back in '01. Didn't know what the heck it was, so I just thought it was a black Gameboy unit. Turned out to be a Palm OS device. After the standard setup drivel that all new and returning Palm users go through getting a new Palm unit, I ended up playing with Graffiti for days on end, practically testing out every aspect and feature of the built-in stuff (PIM, datebook+, advanced calc, CityTime). After all that, I started putting in relevant data. Datebook and its equivalencies would go untouched, as I used my school's paper planner instead. I didn't have that many entries anyways, the the paper planner alread listed relevant dates like spring break, when to renew housing for next year, and final exams. Went online and scoured many sites to DL some 3rd party apps. Banking software, many many games, and various utilities. When I got bored waiting in line, I could check up on memos, phone numbers, and play games while looking more professional (I guess I was the only one who thought it was a Gameboy at first sight).

It was then I realized that for me, the Visor original was a piece of crap. Better PDAs then were pathetic compared to today's, but they were still much better than my Visor orig was. The almost 2MB of user RAM was the top thing that did me in. I ended up getting two 16MB flash memory Springboard modules to have extra room to work with. Found an excellent deal for them, so I wasn't disappointed even thoguh I only ended up using one of them. Also, like with how many people now avoid Palm/PalmOne brand SD cards and buy Sandisk, Toshiba, Lexar, PNY, and other brands instead, I got Hagiwara brand instead of Handspring for the same reasons. To avoid the premium associated with 'brand name'. Also Realized that not all apps or parts of apps and games could be installed on exp card, but it was certainly better than nothing. I knew right from the get-go that among many other things, much more user RAM would be at the top of my list (at least 8MB+)

Went into NYC. Noticed how the Palm vs Handspring wars has already began. Didn't know about any other players at the time. It would be another year when my cousin visited and showed me her Sony Clie. Palm and HS on the other hand had a lot of advertisements all around. Billboards and newspapapers all had their fair share of ads. As far as I'm concerned now, it's close enough to the popularity ipods get today. Palm vs HS kinda reminded me of Microsoft vs Apple. Palm had the "solid handhelds", selection, and the name. Handspring used Palm OS as well, but their colorful line of Visor Deluxes, as well as various Springboard modules (mp3 player, cell phone add on, voice recorder, expansion card). One day, I was disappointed to see color PDA handhelds were already out. My gift bearer mentioned she wasn't going to pay $450+ for a Visor Prism or a IIIc (or whatever color PDA Palm had at the time). That shut me up. I wasn't going to pay that even if i did have the money.

From here on, there was a permanent cap on the new software spree. Still tried new software, but it was sometimes. Had fun with games, sometimes in classes, convenience of having all my contacts and memos with me w/o the paper bulk, calculator, and other useful apps with me on the go.

My first PDA experience would end here. Even though it was lacking in the specs area, there was no way for me nor my gift bearer to know of it at the time. I still had some great times and uses for it. And the fact that this was my "gateway PDA", the introduction to PDAs was a great enough gift alone.

One year later, color handhelds were still too expensive, but the Visor Neo with 8MB of user RAM (give or take), 50% faster processor, updated OS, metal stylus with reset pin, and cool color (purple) would. For a little over a year, I was happy with it. By my 2nd year+, I just had to go to color.

Zire 71 is next on the list. I was pleasantly surprised to see that it was hi-res as well as in color. More user RAM, integrated digicam, and mp3 player were nice extras. Even though I miss the Springboard module, SD cards were much more popular, easier to carry around (fits nicely in the wallet), and sported much greated capacities. This was the same time I was aware of online Palm forums. PalmInfoCenter (you truly are beautiful), Brighthand, and PalmOneCity (merged with ClieSource and is now 1src) filled those extra time I had during the unemployment period and jacked up my knowledge of PDAs usage and history.... not to mention introduced me to some interesting personalities floating around. PDArcade spilled news into the gaming world, while PDA247 also added another source for Palm news

T|T3 is where I'm set at now. The closest thing I'll get to an equivalent "souped up PC gaming rig" of a PDA. My next cell phone to have BT, and a digicam, preferrably with video too would round out all my techie needs. Still pretty "meh" about wifi or internet via BT cellphone. I've also gotten a zod2 for extra gaming, and a Abacus wrist PDA for kicks. The watch is too limited for my uses, but it's still neat to keep even tho my T|T3 is my primary PDA.

"Do you know the difference between an error and a mistake? Anyone can make an error, but that error doesn't become a mistake until you refuse to correct it."
-Grand Admiral Thrawn

the secret to enjoying your job is to have a hobby that's even worse

My PDAs: Visor --> Visor Neo (blue) --> Zire 71 --> Tungsten T3 (with 4 of 6 screws still remaining) ~?~> zodiac 2?

started with a 1000, then a III, m500. stopped as phones got more PIMlike. then the treo happened. 600 rocked and the 650 can't be replaced until they 700 with a palm OS. has anyone tried to squish an ipod and a treo together? i'd buy one.

ODA

I've always had to do things just a little bit differently, and that applies to my technology preferences as well. AMD (or in the days of the 6x86, Cyrix), not Intel. Nomad, not iPod.

It never mattered much if my choice was better on raw spec or price than the mainstream preference - although it usually was. It was about the novelty, about taking a different path.

So that's why my first PDA wasn't a Palm brand device at all, but rather an original Handspring Visor.

With that one purchase, a dormant aspect of my technolust was awakened. I'd never really seen a need for a PDA before that, but it wasn't long before I was craving more. First, I ditched the standard Visor and went for a Visor Deluxe - with a massive 8 MB of memory (12000 addresses! Even though I was a dumb college kid who knew maybe 100 people!). Then I moved on to Clie after Clie, with their tempting color screens and OS4-ERA sorta-proprietary hi-res displays. Ooooh, ahh. And I had to accessorize! The Stowaway keyboard was the obvious choice, but I wanted something more clever - so I got myself a cable to connect my N610C (and later a N710C) to my cell phone, and became ultra-mobile - by which I mean I could check my e-mail while on a lunchbreak from my mall job at a staggeringly slow speed, and catch up on remarkably unurgent messages.

Eventually, I stepped on the N710C (accidentally, yeah), which had lived long into its obsolescence anyway. Of course I NEEDed a replacement, even though I'd been using the device less and less. So I went for my current sidekick (no, not that kind of sidekick), a Zire 71. It's getting a little long in the tooth, and the low heap memory's a pain (thank you, UDMH, thank you so), but it does its job ... passably.

I've been eyeing the Lifedrive for a few weeks, but the responsible adult in me (the bastard!) keeps reminding me of my legitimate financial obligations. I have an apartment now. I SHOULD buy a dining room table before I buy a new toy. I SHOULD.

It was 2002 - the Tungsten T was relatively new to the market.My job as a business consultant with a big 4 consulting company required 2 things on a weekly basis - travel and meetings.

I remember how I'd forget my expense items, forget meetings and worse...when I didnt have my laptop with me - wouldnt have any way of getting in touch with clients whose meetings I had entirely forgotten about. All in all, a rather messy situation. My PIM activities involved rather numerous sheets of hotel pad sheets. A mess.

Well, so I'd complain to my girlfriend at the time - and sure enough - on my birthday, she got me my very first Palm - a Tungsten T.

Life changed. I wouldnt have to worry about printing my Outlook calender view everyday,actually carried around phone numbers I needed - and best of all - remembered to expense all those expensive client dinners. I discovered small joys I never knew - playing Shuffle at the airport, storing photos on RescoView, carrying Word docs I could actually manage to read without the 10 minute boot time. Can go on...

Life changed again. A little more profoundly. My lovely girlfriend became my wife. The Palm now became a center of the numerous To-Do's. The expenses which kept mounting...the people to contact etc. And then we were married.

Life changed again. We bought a house. My Palm now became the reference for Real Estate Agents, Lawyers, Inspection Agents, jot down notes on homes we saw, calculator for on the fly affordability calculations, bank balance checks and what not. And again, all my information was right there where I needed it.

Life changed yet again. 2 years later. Unfortunately. That time is now. As I go through my divorce, my old trusted Palm now has my divorce lawyer information. Bank Account information - though for a much different reason and a million of other things I earnestly hope no reader has to ever know. My wife's PDA ( Zire 71 - which I got her for her birthday...),I am sure, has the same information. We both get by. At least, the confusion of information is mitigated.

And that's my story. I came a full circle. My Palm always with me. I still have client contacts. And expense items. And stuff I'd rather not have. And finally, as with everything, my trusted old Tungsten T is now giving way.The slider screws are falling apart.

Dont know why i wrote this. Maybe as much for a new Palm to signify a new beginning as for anonymously venting out the story without filling with self detesting pity.

Thanks for the forum though!

Cheers

I was a late convert to the world of Palm. I could just not imagine how I could give up carrying my laptop around with me. After all, I had been doing it since I bought my first laptop, a Radio Shack Model 100.

Anyway, CompUSA was having a sale on the Palm IIIxe. I can not remember exactly but I think they were $50 off for $199. My wife and I thought we might try it so we bought one that we intended to share. It was a Saturday, about 1:00.

We both started using it right when we got home and it was probably only an hour before we were already arguing about who got to use it. Within three hours, our path was clear and by dinner time we went back and got a 2nd Palm IIIxe. That probably saved our marriage and we have both had a Palm ever since.

The IIIxe is the only Palm I no longer have but my retired collection includes an M500, M515, a Tungsten T, and a T3 and I now use a TX.

I didn't know anything about PDA's when a fellow pediatric intern brought in a Palm one day. It's an incredibly useful tool when required to spend 30+ hours in a hospital. A device that kept track of tasks that needed to be done (check Bobby's labs at 10PM), a calender (mini presentation to the residency director on Friday), and an alarm (wake up in time morning rounds). But that wasn't even the best. Unlike in adults, children's medication is based on weight and age. This necessitates carrying a drug dosing book and a calculator...unless you have a Palm. I thought it was brilliant!

Throughout the entire year I watched my colleague happily tapping away on it. Secretly, I coveted it. However, saddled with huge school debt and with groceries to buy, I knew I would not be able to afford one. As Christmas time approached I began dropping hints to my family. I would leave PDA webpages open when I left the family computer or linger over the consumer electronics fliers from the Sunday paper on weekend visits home. That Christmas my brother got me my very own PDA for Christmas: a Hangspring Visor Platinum. It was a wonderful machine and my workhorse until a year ago. It had a fast processor and 8mb. Between ePocrates and pedbase apps I was set.
I then bought a well-loved Tungsten T3 off eBay. Packed with speed, memory, and features, the T3 (and a cup of coffee) get me through my day. I can't tell what a difference color makes! In addition to the already mentioned uses, I can show patients/parents pictures of rashes or diagrams of heart defects on its cool sliding screen, dictate a quick memo or addendum with the voice recorder, listen to some favorite tracks while I slog through paperwork. I recently had a child of my own, who is IMHO the cutest child I've seen. When co-workers, hospital staff or even my patient's parents ask to see her picture, I don't pull out my wallet for one or two outdated photos. I whip out the T3 with a recently downloaded slideshow. I simply can't imagine my life without a Palm PDA.

Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.
-Albert Einstein

It was a cold day in the mid-nineties when I first got my PalmPilot Professional. As a student at the time, the handheld was useful for taking quick notes and keeping track of assignments and exams. Of course, back then, all note-taking and document writing was through the memopad and I was often frustrated by the memory limit. Many times, I tried to copy documents for reading on the road into the memopad but eventually gave up. It took to long to split documents into multiple sections and into multiple memopad entries.

Finally, in the late-nineties, I purchase the 2MB upgrade. Now, I would have double the memory! Of course, the memopad limit was still there are I still had to worry about losing my data due to battery drain or failure. As a result, I purchased BackupBuddy, one of the first backup utilities available for the PalmPilot. There are many setup problems at the time though, and I went through numerous attempts, losing and re-entering my data before I could get the program to work properly. Of course, AvantGO was running by late into my Palm III/PalmIIIx experience and it had me addicted to reading the green and black screen into the wee hours of the night.

In fact, my Palm IIIx and a Stowaway Portable Keyboard accompanied me on my backpacking trip in 2000 from the Ottawa, Canada to the Cook Islands and then to New Zealand and Australia. While I had to carry a supply of AA batteries, the Palm was constantly used for journal entries and trip planning with TravelTracker. It made it back home safely with me, though all my journal entries were in the memopad and took some time to compile. Interestingly, though also sadly enough, all my digital photos were lost from the trip due to a computer/disk failure, yet my journal entries can still be read to this day.

Then, at the turn of the century, I purchased a Handera 330. The addition of the Stowaway Portable Keyboard made the Handera infinitely more usable, though the "soft-graffiti" and QVGA screen were extremely pretty (and the first of their kind). Once I got Backupman and Agendus (then known as ActionNames Datebook) working, I was addicted. Those programs combined helped me get more use of the the Handera than any other Handheld I've owned since. Compactflash AND SD backup? And a removable rechargeable battery? And soft-graffiti and QVGA screen? The Handera 330 was ahead of its time. Too bad there wasn't more software written for its enhancements. Perhaps then we would have seen what other innovations the company had in store.

In 2003 or so, after being tempted by the Tungsten T, I finally gave in (and at just the right time) and purchased a Tungsten T2 along with a Palm UT keyboard and PowerToGo battery extender. This combination allowed me to sit through a day of 3 nine-hour classes, with time to deal with work and volunteer emails in between. New innovations in software development and screen/audio technology let me play games like Warfare and Aggression, listen to music using Aeroplayer or Pocket Tunes and type up documents using DocumentsToGo and QuickOffice. I could connect to my bluetooth enabled phone for email/sms and felt more productive than ever before. However, it wasn't to last, as my screen one day (at a crucial time) became unresponsive. Luckily I had purchased a two year extended warranty and a year into the warranty period, I was able to exchange my T2.

Being older technology by then, the store had no remaining T2s and instead opted to exchange for a T3. The new 320x480 screen was amazing and I was soon back into full swing. Playing a wide variety of games, from Bejeweled and Insaniquarium to Traffic and ScummVM games; referencing using DictionaryToGo and PocketLingo; reading news and books with Plucker; keeping lists with the SplashSuite; photoviewing with SplashPhoto; syncing to my phone with funSMS and funBook; msn'ing with Verichat; watching movies with MMPlayer; and most importantly, keeping track of birthdays with HappyDays.

And that's where I stand now. The T3 has serve me extremely well over the last couple years. While the LifeDrive and Treo 650 have made me look twice on numerous occasions, I've been perfectly satisfied with the second brain in a T3. While there have been many feature requests both in terms of software and hardware, I hope Palm continues providing a stable platform in an organizer than has become essential to my inner-city life.

To be honest, I really don't have a spectacular story to tell while owning my Palm, Handspring and palmOne gadgets. They've all been wonderful in design and capabilities.

As for my history, I started out with a Palm III and then explored the Handspring Visor and Visor Deluxe. When Palm developed the Tungsten T, I was quick in buying one.

My current powerhorse is the Tungsten T5. I've had it for just over a year now and I don't see myself replacing it for a while unless it breaks or something.

It's been a great journey with the many Palm OS gadgets that I've "gone through" that I see myself sticking with it's form factor and functionalities for many years to come.

I started out with a plain old Zire M150 in about August of 2004 for a grand total of $70 Canadian on eBay (not bad, huh?). All I wanted was a basic handheld to handle basic tasks, and it actually turned out to be pretty useful for taking notes in school as well. Graffiti became my second...no, make that first language. I became a big Palm fan soon thereafter and was very glad (and still am to this day) that I did not choose a Pocket PC -- something I had been debating before my purchase of the M150. In June of 2006, I received a Garmin iQue 3600 GPS/Palm PDA as a graduation gift. And then came the death knell...Graffiti 2 (cue scary organ music). Thankfully, it was one device that was still pre-Garnet, so I was able to install Graffiti 1. However, I'm not one to travel often enough to even justify buying the additional components required to use the GPS portion of the device (don't know what my parents were thinking...), such as updated maps, SD/MMC cards, and the like. I do admit though, it is one cool device, and for its size, it packs an impressive number of features for both a Palm PDA and a GPS navigator. I sold it within a few of months, but I have it back sitting on my shelf, courtesy of the US Postal Service. So, it's still for sale (gotta get that plug in there ;) I also sold my Zire M150 shortly after receiving the Garmin. But, before putting the Garmin up for sale, I did purchase a Palm Zire 31 for $120 Canadian on eBay, which I am still using today (and, which also gracefully works with Graffiti 1!). Unfortunately, it has developed a problem with the screen for no apparent reason: it's got vertical lines running up and down the screen. But, I still use it anyway. Of the three Palms I've had, the Zire 31 is by far my favorite. It does everything it says it does and it does it well (until the screen develops problems :( ). I have also purcahsed a 1GB Secure Digital card, which I use primarily for storing digital audio and a few of my favorite Top Gear (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top_Gear) clips.

So, that's the end, I hope you enjoyed it...at least enough for me to win the LD ;)

if (!$broke) {
DontFixIt()
}

One of the teachers at my highschool used to be fascinated by Palms and needless to say she passed her interest onto me. She used to upgrade her Palms reguarly and offered me the chance to buy her Tungsten T with a tonne of accessories off of her. Immediately I jumped at the opportunity and gave her the money that I had saved up along with my pocket money for 7 or 8 weeks. It's one of the best buys I've ever made!

Since then I've been hooked on Palms and visit Palminfocenter daily for all of the hottest news. :-)

P.S. My Palm and I are still unseperatable - I think I must have a attachment disorder since it goes everywhere that I do. :-)

For GOD so loved the world that HE gave HIS one and only SON that who-so-ever believes in HIM shall not perish but have everlasting life.
~ John 3 verse 16 ~

Bought my first Palm IIC back in college after playing around with a friends Palm Pilot. Kept the IIC for two years, sold it, and then bought the Handspring VISOR PRO. I have bought and used the Sony T615C, T665C, Palm M500, Tungsten T, T2 and T3 before getting the Treo 650. I have bought Windows Mobile unitts but always comes back to the Palm units.

The year: 1997. The place: Usenet. As a relatively new member of the growing Pilot community, I noticed that many users were posting the same questions in online newsgroups: "What case should I buy?" "What e-mail program is best?" And so on...

The proverbial light bulb went on over my head: "This thing needs a magazine!" Two months later, Tap was born. What started as a 24-page, 2-color newsletter evolved over the years into a full-size, nationally distributed magazine... one that would eventually change its name to Handheld Computing.

Needless to say, it was the start of a longterm love affair with PDAs. Starting, running, and ultimately selling the magazine was an unbelievable rollercoaster ride--not unlike the ups and downs of the PDA industry itself.

Maybe someday I'll write up this story in more detail. It's a good one. :)

April 5, 2006
To Whom It May Concern:

My name is Dan Groves. I'm a ham radio operator, a former director of a disaster service agency, a new father, and I'm now working as a factory electrician. I have become a palm addict. My collection of palm devices has been integral in all the aforementioned roles, but rarely the same way. My quest began just looking for a portable computer terminal that didn't require a car battery to power it. As my life changed with my different roles, so my palm also adapted as an indispensable asset.

I've always been a gadget freak, from my first Casio watches in the 80's. One was thermometer sports watch, the other a databank with room for fifty names and phone numbers. I could expound from there on the evolution of my toys and tools, but that's not what the article is about.

Before I had heard of palm, I was looking for a small portable device I could use as a terminal for digital ham radio applications. I was looking at the Sharp Zaurus. It had a keyboard and a small display, but I couldn't readily see how to link it with a serial port. Why was this so important?

In ham radio, emergency communications using little power to go great distances was the goal. From the mid 80's I'd played with the digital mode known as packet radio. All the stations across the country can link up to become a network (pre-internet). The big problem was power hungry computer terminals. Laptops were very new and very expensive. Portable computers were also still a premium. I was using a Commodore 64 & 1541 disk drive that I'd converted to DC power with a small battery powered TV. It required insatiable amounts of power than the actual radio required, literally 4 AA's and a car battery. Efficiency demanded more for less, and so did my back!

In the mid to late 90's, packet radio evolved to a gps map graphic format, known as APRS (Automatic Position Reporting System). We could now watch our vehicles move real-time on a computer-generated map along with all our regular text messages! It quickly spread to all platforms: Windows, Mac, Dos, Palm, and Linux. What's a palm? A pen based portable computer with a RS232 port... and more! My life changed when I found them. I immediately got a Palm IIIx with 2 Meg Ram and a backlight.

Within months of getting mine, more ham operators were also acquiring these pocket marvels. Our town had recently suffered back-to-back tornados (April 18-19, 1996), and the ham radio community had been honored as a silent hero behind the early warning and recovery efforts. To improve for future responses, we again began looking for more efficient methods. APRS was part of the improvement, but the palms held just as much promise. Frequency Lists, maps, equipment and procedure notes, critical phone numbers all could be kept on them. A few of us realized soon we needed the after-market 8 Meg Ram upgrade. We still maxed it out!

Two years later I accepted the full time position as the Director of Emergency/Disaster Services for our local American Red Cross Chapter. My palm kept stats for a county full of disaster volunteers, ham operators, fire departments, law enforcement offices, neighboring Red Cross Chapters, government agencies and officials, and other assisting agencies (i.e. Salvation Army, Catholic Charities, etc.). That was just the start. The to-do list function was the big workhorse after the phonebook. Keeping up with the status of various projects was very helpful. My duties also involved emergency military aid casework and local community gardens (another long story, but a great program!). The palm literally became my briefcase of reference materials, hanging neatly in a belt pouch. I soon found that a neighboring chapter had a chairman and a few volunteers who had also been using Palm 1000s for similar purposes. Mutual aid meetings went smooth since we could just "beam" our notes to each other.

Part of my obligations was to serve with the national response teams (known as the Red Cross DSHR). Whether I was in upper New York in an ice storm, or in Miami assisting with hurricane relief, my palm stayed with me. Again maps, reference materials, critical phone numbers were just a button away. It was nice to compose an e-mail or two during my down times, and then send them off when I returned to my hotel that night. A few games didn't hurt either! Avantgo helped me stay on top of the news and weather when newspapers became scarce.

One more threat spurred our chapter into preparations like never before. Y2K! At the same time, our chapter had grown to cover four neighboring counties. All of a sudden we were meeting with agencies and departments we didn't even know existed. Shelter surveys, food stock supplies, additional volunteers became priorities. I had also decided to propose to my 'then' girlfriend on the upcoming New Year’s Eve. While updating contact info into my palm as well as composing a poem for the proposal, I got an idea. A New Year’s Eve party for the volunteers, prepared for an emergency, and doubling as a surprise engagement party. They loved the idea! It gave all of us that silver lining in Y2K's dark approaching cloud. Fifteen minutes before midnight, I knelt and read the poem from my palm, as volunteers arranged the additional party items. One of the included a toasting flute with the ring attached by ribbon. She accepted! Y2K faded quietly into history, so we all stepped out to watch the city's firework displays. Definitely a night to remember!

Having decided on getting married, I realized a higher income would be required. Hence the reason I became an electrician for one of our local factories. An upgrade to a Palm IIIc went with me. The to-do list doesn't get used much, but the notepad is rapidly filling with data. Each machine is listed with it's own little quirks, problems, parameters, alarm codes, and how to fix them. This greatly keeps us from reinventing the wheel if a problem only shows up every year or two.

At the same time, the palm helped keep track of our wedding plans and expenses. My “fiancé’” wanted us to write our own vows. Just like my earlier poem, the notepad was always handy to catch my loose thoughts and brief moments of “inspiration”. Being able to cut and paste them together on the fly is a huge advantage. The phone book also made tracking gifts and the follow-up 'thank you' notes easier.

Back at work, another upgrade to Sony's 'then' new Clie NX-70v allowed me to photograph problem areas, or video an intermittent operation problem to show the other shifts or our supervisors. The ability to back-up everything onto a memory stick was also a major relief. Until this improvement, Blue Nomad's "Back-up Buddy" software was a must have. Sony also included Data To Go which helped greatly to port excel spreadsheets to the shop floor. As breaker panels are changed or rewired, the corrections can be immediately updated to our company's database. No need for extra time spent reading dirt covered notes for data entry! Being able to keep work orders, part numbers, and their locations has also been a huge time saver. Avantgo is still my main source of news and weather (I work third shift). E-books help fill my downtime, along with some recorded MP3s and TV shows (note: pre-iPod). I've extensively used Sony's memory stick DVR to catch shows I normally sleep through. As a bonus, I can save the good shows on a CD instead of a bulky VHS tape.

On a personal side, all of the palms have carried my "household" files: shopping list, honey-do list, birthday/holiday/anniversary gift lists, trivial notes, scripture and church notes, videos-to-rent... and the list of lists goes on (and on). The Clie has become my digital camera and camcorder for our family get-togethers, vacations, and the recent birth of our first child. I've already used HeyBaby software to chronicle her nine months in the womb. I'm still keeping a journal for her concerning our lives and world events. Her immunizations and doctor appointments are also filing into the palm's calendar and notepad. I'm shopping now for another upgrade to help record more "first" events as our daughter grows up. Rest assured, Palm will be my format of choice for quite some time. It hasn't let me down yet!

Thank you,
Dan Groves

I got my first (and currently only) palm last summer (Zire 31). Yes, I haven't got the latest, but that's because my budget is low (I'm a high school student). Anyway, my story goes like this:

Me and my friends were hanging out last year, and a disscusion about technology came about. A\I hadn't had my palm at the time yet, but I was following up, and getting ready for my upcoming purchase. The discussion was mainly about cellphones, (Here in Israel, cellphones is amongst the leading industry).

Me being all brainwashed by the palm.com site, I argued that palms are by far better than cellphones in many different aspects. We had reached a consensus that in the near future, PDAs would be used for everything, from turning on the hot water in your shower to locating the nearest taxi, to surfing the net, basically- everything. So I said that palms are closer to that than phones are, therefore meaning that PDAs would rule over phones (phones would merge into PDAs rather than PDAs would merge into phones).

They all disagreed with me, and I had no other choise but to show them live proof. So I bought a Zire 31, brought it back to Israel, and guess what? I convinced every single one of my friends that palms are better, and more usefull than cellphones. Of course now a days you have them together, but thse are PDAs with phones, not phones with PDAs.

So to sum it up, I bought my palm to prove my argument in a fight. But now I use it for everything. I love my palm.

"Do not worry about your difficulties in Mathematics. I can assure you mine are still greater"
- Albert Einstein

Equipment:
* Palm Zire 31
* 1 Gig. SD Card
* 512 Meg. SD Card
* UWK by Palm
* No Stylus (I keep losing them, I never keep one for over two weeks.)

Use of Palm:
- Programming (SmallBasic)
- Leisure
- Notes for school

Favourite software:
1) RealOne Player (I love music)
2) SmallBasic Free Compiler
3) Flight Simulator V1.0 For PDA (Beta)- my own work. It's going to be freeware, but it'll be months before I publish it, after I fix all the bugs and glitches.

I got my first Palm a few months after it was introduced. I read an article in Time magazine. I had been trying various Daytimer fomats with nothing seemig to fit,
I went out and bought the Pilot, forced myself to use it and after about a week I was hooked. I've owned a new one at least every year, passing the older ones down to my wife and sons.

Thanks for the great products!

Dennis G. Esler
dennis_esler@comcast.net

Like other posters on this forum, I’ve been using post-it notes, day runners, and cheesy electronic address books. That was until May 19, 1999. A group of us stood in line and waited for the theatre to let us in for The Phantom Menace.

Once we finally got situated with our seats and munchies, one of my best friends hands me a wrapped box. In all the commotion from a theatre filled with wannabe Jedi and people thinking they made it to the Dark Side, I remained focused on opening the gift. To my surprise it was a Palm Pilot Professional!

I beat that puppy into the grave and moved to a m100 then a m500. Last year, my company bought me a Blackberry so I had to leave Palm. I just upgraded from a Blackberry 7520 to a 7100i, but in the next month or so, I will migrate to Verizon so I’ll be getting a Palm 700w!

Anyways, that’s how I got involved and it was a perfect way to celebrate my birthday!

I have always had a paper organizer going to school. However, I would get things in email and write them down on in Outlook but forget to put them in my organizer. Then I found about the Palm IIIxe. This thing was amazing. It linked up with Outlook and I could put games on it it was great. So I got the Palm IIIxe. But it was big. My friends made fun of me because instead of a can ring on my jeans I had a palm ring. The perfect outline worn in to my jean pocket where my Palm lived because I always had it with me.
So then I upgraded to the m500. It was smaller so I would lose the ring. That was good until I needed more. There were all these new color palms out there. So I got a Sony. That lasted about a year until it broke. Then came the T2 this was even smaller because it compressed. That was cool. I was the man.
Now, I'm back to the palm ring because I have a LifeDrive and I'm back to the big, thick palm. Maybe the next one will be smaller.

My first PDA would be the Psion 3 bought in the summer of 1995. I was 24 and just got off a 4 year service in the Israeli army. Together with a friend we flew to the US to travel the country - our first part of the trip was upstate New York and Canada and back to New York.

Before leaving Manhattan, I could not help and I entered a CompUSA store and bought the brand new Psion 3. I fell in love with the device - the screen was great (for that time), the keyboard was very easy to use and the suite of applications was very appealing (a full office suite!). So the first thing I did was to setup an expense excel sheet where I entered each day for the next couple of weeks how much we spent and on what..

Guess what! the trip was way too expensive than what we thought is would be.. so the first thing I did after returning back to New York was to go back to the shop and return the product - it was too expensive for me and the Psion helped me see it (how ironic - huh?)

Anyway, after 2 months of driving, flying and touring this great country I have purchased a much cheaper CASIO BOSS (I think it cost $200..) which served me for exactly two years until I got my (first) Palm - the Pilot 1000..

Moshe Buhboot

The year was 1999 and I was a Junior in High School in Shelbyville, Indiana.

The previous year, I had sold a web based company for a decent chunk of change and had slowly been spending all of my cash.

I had been with my then girlfriend for about two years at that point and Valentine'ss day was around the corner. Somehow, Megan had gotten the idea that I was buying her a very nice ring. A promise ring of sorts. It wasn't that I wasn't going to buy her a ring, it was the fact that I hadn't officially said I was or wasn't that got to me.

A couple weeks before Valentine's day came around I received a nice large commission check from CommissionJunction (anyone remember that site?). Megan saw the check and suddenly got VERY excited about our plans for that weekend. We had planned to go out for an early Valentines day dinner and to her, it looked as though she was going to get a nice little gift along the way. On Friday of that week, I found that she was driving me NUTS with hints and questions about the evening's activities. She knew we were going up to the area of Indy where the jewelry store was, and she knew I had a bit of extra cash in my wallet. Little did she know, the stage was set for dissapointment.

We went up to Indy, saw a movie, and went to a nice restaurant for dinner. As we left the restaurant, I saw a Best Buy across the street and decided I wanted to stop. I honestly had only intended to go in and look around, but Megan was obviously less than thrilled. In fact, she became VERY indignant and snotty and refused to come in with me. Man that ticked me off.

I went in and talked to the salesman, who obviously didn't know what he was talking about. Walked around for a minute and thought.. screw it. I walked up to the guy, got a Palm IIIxe out of the case, and headed toward the check out lane. The line was ages long, and I thought about leaving, but my mind was made up.

I ended up going back out to the car to break the news that I needed this for business and her ring was going to have to wait. Boy was I full of it.

We didn't talk for the next week. Alas, it didn't bother me as much as she hoped. Especially since I had my new-found PDA to distract me during class.

She later got over herself, and I later bought her that ring. But, I don't think she ever recovered from PDA induced jelousy.

I had that Palm IIIxe until I sold it for a Visor... I then moved onto a few different Newtons(110,120,2100) and I bought my first smartphone a few years ago and just upgraded to a Treo. Viva PalmOS.

Now, I have a new girlfriend. Despite my love for technology, I would never pick a palm over her. (ehem) She's jealous of my Treo, but not for my attention, she wants one of her own! Her iPod just died and I think the life drive would be a GREAT gift for her. (Especially since she just finished her Master's degree and is starting her first REAL job in the next few months)

So, please help me get a cool gift for a wonderful woman. (She never complains when I want to go to Best Buy :-) )

In 1999 I was jobbing at a bar besides studying. My boss was constantly
talking about the new Palm V which he liked so much, but didn't have the
money (he didnt earn so much more than we did).
I preferred the Palm III somehow. But I went to the shop and bought the
Palm V. My Boss was envious ;-)

Because I didnt have so many Appointments to schedule, I used my Palm V
mainly to read news (copied to memos), file addresses and phone numbers,
and play a lot of tetris. I played tetris so much until half a year later
some buttons didnt work any more :-)

I was almost never synching my Palm V with my PC, because most of the time
I was outside. I remember once when I also didnt charge for about two
weeks. And when I wanted to look up a phonenumber, my Palm V could not be
switched on anymore. I was so worried that all my contacts and memos were
lost! But after charging, all was still there.

Today I have so many applications on my Treo and a lot of data, for example
the whole documentation library of the Oracle Database...
Somehow I miss the old days, when I only had 2 MB memory and the built in
Contacts and Memos were cool enough for me.
___
Sent with SnapperMail
www.snappermail.com

I have always been a tech freak. When I fisrt heard about a Palm Pilot I got really excited about the concept. I didn't have any real NEED for a Personal DIgital Assistant but as usual the tech part of it atracted me. As a med student I couldn't really afford much at the time so I had to wait. I finally got the chance to vivst a friend of mine in London. Having about 50£ left at the end of the visit I asked im if there is a place to but electronics cheap in London. He took me to a place that sold new and second hand electronics where I found a used Palm m100. The original price tag they had for it was 70£, I managed to haggle my wy down to the 50£ I had left and got my first palm. I never looked back! Being a med student the first thing I did was install ePocrates which on the 2Mb device ment I had very little room for naything else. A passion which started as a interst in technology developed into absolute neccesity since after a few weeks with th m100 I realized that I could never mangage anything without a PDA.
After about 3 years I was getting very ready for an upgrade and had the m515 in mind, but of course I didn't have the money for it. In the middle of my 4 year in med school I had to undergo surgery (nothing too major). As I was lying in my room recoverign form the ordeal being rather nauseated and nurturing a serious headache my father walks into the room with a nicely wraped box. Under the wrapping was a marvelous brand new Palm m515. It took about a 2 hours after getting home to fill up the machine with more medical applications (and some games). AHHH bliss, a colour screen. After finishing med school I had better finances and upgraded to the Tungsten series with the TT1. I loved for its design (Yes I LOVE the slider) and specs. One little incident with digitizer drift was the only trouble I had with it. But then I was biking one day with my beloved TT in my backpack when I had to brake hard on snow/ica to avoid som ekids that jumped into the road. My bike sled from under me and I fell striahgt on the backpack. When I got to my Office the screen had a very nasty diagonal crack straight across it. I didn't have to worry about digitizer drift anymore, there was no digitizer.
That started the age of the TT3 which I have still and love more then any of the palms I had before. Had not had a single problem with it and it has served me on endless ways, from remembering birthdays to helping me to save a life by supplying me with the knowledge that I wish I could remember. The only thing I don't do with the T3 is bike!!!

Cool. I could do a lot of things with that.

Have you had Palm withdrawal?

When my Tungsten T3 failed to start and was under warranty. It happened on a weekend. So I called Palm support to see if I could get a replacement unit shipped to me. After a longtime
on the phone it was determined it could be replaced.

Now the wait was on. When you use the Palm for almost all daily tasks and contacts. Using Palm desktop or Outlook is not same for speed. Also pen and pad again are not the same for notes.

So I started to watch baseball. I reached for the Palm because that is where I keep track of the game. Oh no, I needed a way to score the game. Back to paper scoring but needed to print off a score card first. But where is score file? It was already the bottom of the second inning. I finally got it printed and using score card with the bottom of the third inning.

My son Jason came home and asked how it was going? I gave him a look don't ask. He had my old Palm Tungsten. I finished the game, but again needed to record the final score in BBTRACKER that I use to track the Boston Red Sox with. Only three hours without it. Well off to bed, but no ereader to read the 911 report.

So I feel asleep, I was awaken by the cat. I put him outside. And then reached again for my Palm. So off to where the desktop is, turn it on and waited and waited. Started IE and read emails. It was 5 a.m. I use the Palm to plan my day. Now to use Outlook, to look at calendar and tasks to do. Cat scratched on the front door to come in, I let him in. Then off to make
coffee, I usually press the hot sync button on the cradle, when I make coffee. So no hot sync, it has just been 14 hours since I got off the phone with Palm. I finished making breakfast and then off to shower. Check emails again nothing from Palm, with shipping information. Around 11 a.m. yes, a email from Palm, with tracking information. Pressed link to see where the replacement was, tracking said it was picked up. So more waiting to do...

What is my life without my palm in my pocket, keeping me going...

It is now Wednesday, tracking says it is at post office, but mail delivery person does not have it. So I call post office, and after a while they locate it. I say I will come pick it
up. And I get in my car and go to the post office. Pick up my package and smile. Home I go, and open the package. Place the Palm in the cradle to get the Palm all powered up. It seems
like the minutes are hours, finally after three hours hit the hot sync button on the cradle. The desk top says pick user. Another period of time goes bye and finally. I have my little
e-friend back with me. Plug back in card and all is well in the world now.

I hope you LOL too.

J

Linux (Xandro) and Palm (T3) forever...

My first PDA was an HP Omnigo, I think it was in 1996.
My parents were traveling to the States (I live in Belgium), and I asked them to
bring me one of these. You even had to buy a seperate connection kit for these things if you wanted to synchronize with your PC! The available software was rather limited and the screen - without backlight - really sucked.
A year later my parents were travelling to the States again, and I took the opportunity to ask them to bring a PalmPilot Pro this time. The bad screen of the Omnigo was irritating me, and I was curious to see how this thing without a keyboard would work for me.
While buying it, they even got a ticket for parking in a no parking zone - the price advantage for buying in the States gone in a second!

As far as the PalmPilot pro was concerned , I was hooked! ...

Then in 1999 I was in the States myself for a Sybase Conference, there I could buy a Palm V with a big price reduction, I didn't have to think twice about that!
Got me several cases before finding the right one, the Rhinoskin alu-hardcase.

Then later on Sony was bringing out all these nice color Clies, and finally I had to get myself one of those, so I bought the Clie T620c. Amazing machine, coming from a Palm V, all that color and extra resolution was fantastic.
Then I turned to the 'other side' for a few years. In 2003 I bought a Dell Axim 5, mainly because of the available navigation software (TomTom). I got used to the PocketPC after being a long time PalmOS user, but many times I was missing the simplicity and effectiveness of the PalmOS. So this year january I got myself a Palm again, this time a TX. This was a great experience, for me it's my first PDA with bluetooth as well as Wifi.

The feeling of using PalmOS again with the same nice form factor as the Palm V, was great!

My first PDA was a Palm III. It really opened my eyes to what I was missing. Now I use a TX and would be lost without it

Tagbo Okoli

This is probably futile, but I'll enter, because it'd be great to give my T|X some new friends.

Hi !!!

My first handheld.....
October,1999 : I was walking to home in the morning (whithout any preocupation) but ...i didn´t know that this day will be very important for me, because... when I was arriving I found a friend who was looking for a local place that sells Palmtops (the first PDA that I look was a Visor of 400$) .. he teach me about palm´s world, since this day I was trying to know more and more from this devices, but there was an geographic and economical problems, because I live in Bolivia (south-america) and here the price of PDA´s are (and was) very expensive, 150 dollars more than USA.
but I was obsessed !!!
September,2000. I find a person who lives in US who will return to my country in 1 month so I decided to sell my promotion ring and a gold chain (both promotion gifts) and talk to this person for buying a palm for me, when this device arrived I was knew exactly wath to do whith this great invent !!! Simply, Direct, little, Durable, powerful, and extension of my knowledge!!!

Thank you !!! for read my post !!!

PD.- my palm is a CLIÉ sj-20 :-)
- Sorry my bad english

It´s a EXCELLENT device !!! .... CLIÉ

OK so I started with a Casio PV400 as a Christmas gift. With it and a small outlay of cash for the gift I was able to see if I liked using a PDA. Now the Casio was not great for any apps other than PIM with Outlook but I wanted to know if I could leave my daytimer behind. It worked great so after a year on the casio I was sold. Well actully it was three months. About two years on the casio I started the finial phase of looking for a PDA. I finally decided on the Palm Tungsten T over a Casio, Sony, and HP. I have had this unit running solid for four years. It is showing its age. These things get used hard. I keep games off my Palm so the kids won't monopolize it. That is the only way I get to use it. It is now begining to wear out so I am now looing at a new Palm. My only wish is why can't Palm use a Harddrive like the IPOD at 30 gig like my daughter has. Now that is portable storage. No worry about limited memeory for applications.

When I read about the PalmInfocenter LifeDrive Giveaway I knew that I just *had* to write you. You would not believe what I went through to get my first Palm handheld. It just goes to show you how things were with some of us and when I think back to it now, I find myself chuckling whilst I reminisce about "the olden' days" and how I thinking with a "nerdy edge" (makes it sound cool) influenced how so many of us thought and behaved.

I don't want this to get too long so I'll jump right into it!

My entry into the Palm world was geeky, exciting, embarassing and was surrounded by some downright bizarre circumstances that actually changed my life. You'll see what I mean by story's end.

This was me in 1996: twenty-six years old; lived with my parents (translation: more money for toys!); was lucky enough to have a girlfriend; and had an insatiable appetite for gadgetry.

I bought it all -- I mean it -- I really did. The latest game comes out: "Time to buy a new computer". A new technology is revealed: "Time to buy a Monster 3D Sound Card". Something with a high geek factor becomes available: "Time to invest in that force feedback leather chair" (I kid you not -- isn't it funny how I use the word, "invest" -- yeah, right!).

Now organizers weren't an exception. I had so many Sharp electronic organizers and Casio BOSS organizers that I could've opened a store. Aside from all this, I had all the cabling for synching and extra software, etc. This was no joke because the price of those things rivaled the handhelds we have on the market even today.

Being a geek, I wanted to muck around with every device possible and my justification to my girlfriend was (you guys have used this before): "It will help me with my job". One of the tests I always did with new computer-type devices was to program that classic game "Lemonade Stand" (some of you old-timers might remember it). Some people use "Hello World" -- I do Lemonade Stand. This was really so that I could learn the programming environment and believe it or not, it truly did help. Well, I told my girlfriend that I wanted a Pilot 1000 and oh boy -- she put her foot down! I tried and tried to convince her that this was something I absolutely needed but she was VERY adamant this time that our spendig had to come under control. We were planning marriage and living together and the Pilot didn't fit into her equation (hey -- it FIT into MY equation!). Jokingly she said to me, "Okay, you want that organizer that badly, huh? Fine. This time, you build a REAL lemonade stand and sell REAL lemonade and we'll see how badly you really want it."

"Ha, ha," she laughed. "You can set it up at Yonge and Bloor. That'll be fun, won't it?"

Wow. She knew I wouldn't do it. Yonge and Bloor is Toronto's busiest intersection. Heh... But you know what comes next, right guys...?

She was NOT serious and she never in her wildest dreams thought that I would do it but as you guessed, I did it! I am ***SO*** bad at woodwork and anything non-computer related and my lemonade stand was so gawky and so awful but I did indeed build it (and in secret) at my best friend's house. And then, that fateful weekend, I sold Lemonade at Toronto's busiest intersection. Can you imagine, a twenty-six year old man all by himself -- without any children around -- selling Lemonade to people for a dime per cup. Not only that, but the stand itself was SO AWFUL-looking and embarassing. Not surprisingly (actually, I was very surprised at the time), I hardly had any sales! People put more People must have thought that I was nuts. Tourists took pictures standing next to me though, and I think that a TV station put me on the nightly news but I never saw it.

OMG -- sorry. I am so laughing out loud right now thinking about this! LMAO!

It gets worse! The Wednesday before the weekend, I just got a new job with a prominent hospitality firm as a Systems Consultant. As I was selling Lemonade, my boss SAW ME DOING IT! He didn't come up to me or tell me THAT he was there (I found out about him having seen me six months later). He thought that I was moonlighing from my job selling lemonade on the corner for ten cents a pop! God love him -- he was such a sweet man, but can you imagine what he must have been thinking when he saw me?

I'll finish up now but here's how the story ended: my girlfriend (now my wife) gave me her approval to buy the Pilot 1000. She couldn't believe that I had actually gone through with it and now tells her friends about it (I had my sister "non-chalantly" bring her there to go shopping so she could witness all of this).

My boss (who ended up being the best person I've ever worked for), hired me full-time as the company's Network/Systems Manager on the following Monday (I was contracting before) and this came with a substantial increase in pay. My boss did this because he thought that I really needed money badly and didn't want to gnab me before I went somewhere else. He didn't tell me about this right away, but I did eventually find out that he saw me and soon the whole office knew and I became known as, "Lemonade Boy".

Now here's the teeth-clencher: I GOT A PILOT 1000 FOR FREE AS PART OF MY JOB!

So there you go. Now you know how I got my first Palm handheld. And I've never looked back since -- well, maybe a short stint in the Pocket PC world but that was one time only!

Hmmm... I'm thirsty...

Lemonade, anyone? :)

Cheers!

Minus-1

I have had a IIIc and now I have a Tungsten T3. I need it; I cannopt live without it. It's like a drug. I need to be able to have my contacts on me at all times, be able to check my agenda quickly and have at least ten books with in a package the size of a rather large but thin deck of cards. Not to mention that the same deck of cards can play games, emulate all manner of computers, has a graphical calculator, and so on and so forth.

But how did it all start?

For me it was a friend I met one day in a bar. We had made a squash appointment, and he whips out his palmpilot 3000.

I didn't know what the thing was, or what it could do, but from that first sight I knew I had to have one. After he was done graffiti-ing in the appointment, I asked if I could have a look at that thing he was using. As I asked about what it was, and what it could do, I looked over this amazing piece of technology in it's monochrome green glory, so remeniscent of the old macintosh clone I got my computing start on.
But this was portable! This was green, and portable, and I could write on it! And I could read on it! Books could be read on this device...as well as many other things I had no idea of or use for, but all that didn't matter.
My friend damn near had to pull the device from my hands to get it back, and that night he probably got just a tad annoyed at the amount of questions I asked him. But not all that pissed off, as I plied him with beer all the while :)

So, knowing what it was, and what it costs, I hit the web to find this mystical '3Com' and 'Palm'. And to my shock and awe, there I saw what was destined to be my first PDA: a colour PDA! The IIIc had just been released.

Long story short, after two weeks of agonising wait, and about $400, I had in my hands my dream machine. And it was everything I hoped it would be, and more.

Even now, long used to the idea, I catch myself looking at my Tungsten T3 and smile to myself. The future is now; I have my Star Trek datapad in my hands.

I first got interested in mobile computing back in 1987, when I got my first microcomputer, a Brazillian Sinclair ZX81 clone called Microdigital TK85 [http://cobit.mma.com.br/micros/tk85.htm]. It wasn't really that mobile. Despite its small size, it needed a TV set and a cassete recorder (plus some basic degree in Basic ;-D ) to work properly. I admired it mostly for its compact form factor. My next mobile device was a secondhand Casio digital personal planner, around 1990. It wasn't user friendly, as it hadn't an efficient backup solution and lacked third party applications. The love affair lasted the first low-battery-data-wipe!!

But circa 1995, I got to know the first Apple Newton in the now defunct Comdex held in Brazil. I fell in love with the PDA concept right away, despite its poor writing recognition and ludicrous size. The first Palm I layed my eyes on, the Pilot 5000, got it (mostly) right from the start. Somehow, I eluded the Siren's call for almost two years. Being in Brazil, the slightly abusive taxes was a deterrence. Well, at least for a time!

In 1998, the PalmIII was released. By then, powered by PalmOS 3 and having a very decent software library, it was nearly as perfect as a PDA could ever be. It was the maiden device in my long history of Palm devices. I had two PalmIII, a PalmV, a Workpad c505 (a black IBM OEM'ed Palm m505), a Tungsten|E, a Tungsten|T5, and my current PDA, a Palm T|X. After almost 8 years of having constantly a PDA with me, I can say that I'm hooked!

My name is Frank Tano and this is the story of my entry into the realm of Palm.

It all started with a message. Well, a message pad. An Apple Newton MessagePad to be precise. I was there in the beginning. The release of a device that was ahead of it's time. One with the right idea but lacking the available technology or execution to back it up. The greatest recognized lame duck of handheld computing...God I wanted one.

I would have leased my soul for a Newton (no one sells or buys souls anymore). I like to write. It's what I do. To be able to write any time the muse slapped me in the face. To be able to just sync it to a computer instead of transcribing from a pocket notebook that had gone through the wash (on Tumble Dry - High Heat to boot). Yes, it was a Holy Grail of sorts.

Time passed and so did the Newton. Discontinued. My dreams damaged and in despair, I was ready to give up on handheld computing. Never to know the joy of a stylus. I began contemplating how many note pads I would lose to my Maytag each year when She entered my life.

Nancy. She stood on the floor of the Apple Certified Reseller as if she were the Lady of the Lake rising from the depths to bestow upon me, Excalibur. Nancy, she had heard of my search and like Eve offering Adam the apple, she offered me her Newton 2000. She smiled a smile that seemed both seductive and unholy and handed me her card, making me promise to call her. Call her I did.

- ring -
- ring -
"Hi this is Nancy. I'm out so leave a message after the beep."
- beep -

I left a message. Time passed. There was no return phone call. I called again.

- ring -
- ring -
"Hi this is Nancy. You can leave a message but I'll probably ignore it."
- beep -

I left another message. More time passed. Still no call. I called again.

- ring -
- ring -
"Hi this is Nancy. I'm home but I am screening my calls. You'll never get my Newton and you are now just another notch on my bedpost in this sick and heinously evil game I play with your kind. Ha ha and I enjoyed stomping your heart into the ground."
- beep -

I didn't leave a message.

Nancy. What had happened? Why had she not returned my calls? What could have driven her and her Newton from my life? I'll never know. Nor will you because this is not her story. It is mine. You'll have to contact Nancy for her side and good luck with that because SHE'LL NEVER RETURN YOUR PHONE CALLS!!

After swearing off of women and their Newtons, I suddenly awakened to a new option. Apparently while I was chasing the dying Newton, Palm's star began to rise. The situation was reminiscent of the dinosaur/mammal changing of the guard. I ordered a Palm IIIx that very day. Arriving at my doorstep two days later (2nd day air baby!) was my new Palm. I named him Schmitty.

Schmitty and I were inseparable, nearly together 24/7. Sure there were some unexpected side effects to Palm ownership. My memory left me. I couldn’t remember anywhere or anywhen I needed to be without consulting Schmitty. My handwriting also suffered. I found myself often slipping into graffiti when writing letters to Grandma. She would think I was on the drugs and MTV where she to get something like that in the mail. Still, the benefits were worth it. Sadly, the relationship Schmitty and I shared would not last. He had a penchant for living life on the edge. Schmitty was constantly jumping off of tables, out of lockers, from my hand, rolling down the stairs and once almost high diving into the toilet. Yes, he was an adventurer. That kind of living eventually caught up with him when he performed a glorious swan dive and belly flopped on a concrete warehouse floor. Rest in Peace Schmitty.

It was not long after Schmitty leaving this mortal coil that Robert, a Palm m500 entered my life. Robert was faster Schmitty. Robert was more capable than Schmitty. Most importantly, Robert was less adventurous than Schmitty. It’s been over four years now and we’re still together. That’s MY story. Now, what ever happened to Nancy?

The End
(written on a Palm m500)