Re: [Paddlewise] PDA Opinions

On Sat, 9 Jan 1999 outdoors_at_biddeford.com wrote:

> I've been trying to find a way to accomplish more with my daily 24 hours
> which includes more time to read the Paddlewise posts.  (Jackie, notice the
> paddling relationship here)  I've use a Franklin Planner (tm) for several
> years and am considering a PDA to replace it.  If anyone has had some
> experience with these, I'd like to hear about it.  I value the list
> member's opinions.  Well, most of the opinions.
> TIA,
> 
> 			Bill Ridlon
> 			Southern Maine Sea Kayaking Network

Aha, my area of expertise :)

I personally use the Palm III and love it. It is a much better PDA than
any windows CE device in my opinion. The WinCE devices are not PDA's, but
rather mini-pc's, with the attending host of operational difficulties that
any windows based desktop (e.g. frequent hourglass symbols, occasional
crashes, and filled with MS-bloatware). Don't be fooled into thinking that
the extra memory, larger and/or color screen, and higher prices of the
WinCE machines means they are better than a Palm III. A PDA should be
functional, not fancy. You would have to be a masochist to willfully buy a
WinCE device.

The Palm III however is very fast and has many well designed PDA specific
functions, such as an effective calendar, to-do list, address-book, and
memo pad. The to-do list and address book are especially good at sorting
by category (e.g. work, school, kayak, family, friends, etc), so only the
appropriate items or numbers are visible. Very functional. It is the
industry standard in PDA's, and after you own one, you will know why.

However, the best feature of the Palm III is that its operating system is
open-source, which means that anyone can write an application that runs
well. And guess what... everyone does! There are so many quality programs
for the PalmIII, and it will do some amazing things. It has a relatively
fast CPU and can do lots of neat calculations. The majority of the
software is shareware, so you can try before you buy. Some of the best
software is even GPL'd, so it's absolutely free. :)

Software that all kayakers should have!

1. Tide Tool! Tide Tool! Tide Tool!
http://www.toolworks.com/bilofsky/tidetool.htm
Worth the price of the PalmIII all by itself. It uses the same database of
harmonic constants as Xtide, and calculates tides and currents for 1500
locations worldwide. Every time I have checked the output with a tide or
current table, it has been spot on, if not more accurate. I use it to
plan trips to the standing wave at Skookumchuk tidal rapids, and to
Deception Pass. And even better, it is released under the GPL (Gnu Public
License).

2. Delorme TopoUSA and a GPS.
www.delorme.com
You can plug in your GPS to the Palm, and see your location on a map of
anywhere in the USA realtime. Includes topographic maps. I haven't tested
this yet, but it looks really good. 

A couple of more points,
1. Buy the PalmIII off the web. Save at least $20-$30. Go to
www.shopper.com, a search engine for computer prices, and buy it from the
lowest advertised vendor. I saved $75 from the cheapest retail outlet in
Seattle when I bought mine six months ago.

2. Get your software from www.pilotzone.com, the best source of shareware,
and freeware.

Happy Palm kayaking :)

Kevin

	 ___________________                                                            
	/   Kevin Whilden   \
       |Dept. of Geosciences \___
       |University of Washington \
       |kwhilden_at_u.washington.edu| 
        \________________________/                       

> 
> 
> ***************************************************************************
> PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List
> Submissions:     paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net
> Subscriptions:   paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net
> Website:         http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/
> ***************************************************************************
> 

***************************************************************************
PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List
Submissions:     paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net
Subscriptions:   paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net
Website:         http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/
***************************************************************************