I have been a Palm user since 1999. I have long depended on my Palm for my schedule, my address book, my check book, my e-reader, and as an alternative to carrying pictures in my wallet (I don’t carry a wallet). I love the fact that I can easily sync everything for access on my desktop or in case I lose my Palm and therefore, my schedule book (what a nightmare to lose all my scheduling!).
I currently have the Palm Tungsten e2 and am very happy with it. The battery life is great, the screen gorgeous, and it’s a pretty fast device. Better yet, it is very easy to sync it with my Ubuntu 8.10 desktop (linux) using j-pilot. But, palm is no longer making non-smartphone devices. Looking toward the future, what am I going to replace this device with?
Prerequisites:
There are a few things I simply must have in a replacement PDA.
- Scheduling
- Address Book
- E-reader
- Sync with linux
There are also things I don’t really care for. I’m not looking for a phone that does it all. Right now if I run the battery down on my Palm it’s not the end of the world. If I run the battery down on my phone it can be a big problem. So I’d rather keep the two separate.
Secondly, I don’t require internet. It is a nice option that I’d probably use, but not if it requires a subscription plan.
The Contenders:
Ipod Touch
I have a good friend with an Ipod touch. It seems to do everything and have everything I might want in a PDA. It is missing one extremely important function: there’s no way to sync it with a linux OS. There are hacks and work arounds that will get music on and off of the thing for you, but currently no work-around for syncing the calendar (which is the whole point for me). Why Apple? Why?
Android
The Google Android OS for smart-phones might be an option. Like I said, I don’t want a phone that does everything. My hope is that some day the hardware is available to give me the features I need without a phone, or without the necessity of having a phone plan with it. We’ll see.
I guess I’ll just keep searching as I wait for the perfect replacement to appear on the market. I’ve go the dollars to spend but no product to spend them on. Perhaps I need to develop and sell my own solution?