Handhelds Heat Up Affairs of the Heart

The results of the PalmInfocenter/palmOne Romance Survey have been compiled. The survey was a tremendous success, generating more than 1,000 responses in just four days. Over 67 Percent of respondents said that their Handheld or Smartphone plays a role in their love life.

Some social commentators say technology isolates people, but the lives of PalmInfocenter readers tell a different story. Handhelds can rev up romance and bring couples together, according to a survey that recently ran on PalmInfocenter.

In the survey, which generated more than 1,000 responses in four days, 73 percent of the participants said that they meet people or strike up conversations as a result of their handheld or smartphone, and a weighty 67 percent claimed that their handheld or smartphone plays a role in their love life.

The palmOne Romance Survey tells a story not yet captured by trend watchers and academic studies -- savvy couples and singles on the dating scene use technology to organize dates and romantic time together, express feelings and simply communicate better.

Survey respondents submitted hundreds of stories about how they plan weddings, write and send poems, set reminders to pick up special gifts, carry photos of loved ones, and even propose! The fun and affordable Zire handhelds, the robust and business-like Tungsten handhelds and the ultra-mobile and compact Treo smartphones feature dozens of ways to stay in touch with loved ones and track what matters most. With the approach of Valentine's Day, the stories below illustrate high-tech expressions of love and romance.

• A palmOne customer used his handheld to pull off a complicated proposal. The device prompted him to remain aware of (1) when the diamond ring was delivered hours before the proposal was to take place, (2) the address of the location where he purchased six dozen roses and the price he paid for them, (3) the phone numbers of parents and friends who needed to be called, and (4) the time at which the actual proposal was to take place.
• One palmOne customer, a self-described romantic and techno guy, uses his Treo 600 smartphone extensively in his love life, from carrying photos on the device to writing poetry, beaming e-cards and sending special email or photo messages. The man and his girlfriend now use a set of smartphones to track information and to-do items for their July wedding.
• One handheld user decided to take a walk after a fight with her boyfriend. It was late by the time she got back and her boyfriend had gone to bed. As she lay on the couch in anger, her handheld beeped that it had a message. Turned out that while she was cooling off outside, her boyfriend wrote a poem and entered it into her handheld, effectively ending the fight.
• One handheld user claims that many times the "alarms" on his handheld have saved him -- reminding him in the nick of time to pick up flowers, make dinner reservations, and even call when his girlfriend is out of town. He also uses his handheld to keep track of where she is when she travels, so a box of candy or flowers are waiting when she checks into her hotel.

In the spirit of the holiday, palmOne debuts its own dating application designed to have fun getting feedback on your dating "appeal," and to help you remember what you enjoyed about your date. The new LQ (Love Quotient) Meter application gives users the ability to rate their date's appeal or collect ratings on themselves beamed from other Palm Powered handheld users. The attributes used to rate can be customized, but initially list eyes, face, body, humor and personality. The LQ Meter is free and available for download here. The winners of the Romance survey will be announced shortly.