Topic: What do you do with your Palm OS PDA?

[Mazeppa]

I bought a Palm Zire 72 on eBay recently.  It was bundled with the Wi-Fi card, and the price was right.  It is still in transit, but I expect to get it Friday. 

I was looking to use a Palm Zire 31 to run a chess program called HIARCS  ( http://www.hiarcs.com/palm_hiarcs.htm   and http://www.hiarcs.com/phresults.htm ).  I was originally going to buy the Zire 31, but the eBay deal was too sweet, and the Zire 72 screen is better, and the chess program runs better on the 72's faster procesor.  And surfing at the many free Wi-fi spots sounds very cool. 

Since I'll be getting a nicer, more capable  PDA than planned, I began to wonder what else I might do with a Palm.  What do you use your Palm to do?

Can you use it for shopping lists?  e-mail?  I'd be interested in any tasks you use your Palm to acomplish.

[Sirgod]

Whew, a PC question... Thank god.

Stephen

[Dallas]

I saw the title and thought for sure I was gonna have to move
this to H&S.   

My wife just bought a HP PDA thingie but since you said no
PocketPC people allowed in this thread I ain't gonna tell you
about it.   

[Dracho]

I used to use mine for a calendar and a calculator, until I discovered a calendar and a calculator actually work just as well.

[Mazeppa]

I used to use mine for a calendar and a calculator, until I discovered a calendar and a calculator actually work just as well.

That has always been my thought, until I saw a woman in a doctor's waiting room doing finances and appointments on a PDA.  She said she was on the go and had so many places to take kids that the PDA was indespensible. 

I'm one of the most tech-savvy folks at my place of work, but still use a stubby pencil for appointment and gradebook management, but am wondering if this PDA I bought can be more than a web surfer and chess computer.

[Dracho]

My problem was that I'd always have a dead battery away from the house, at the most inopportune time, and REALLY need something out of the darned thing. 

Now it sits on my bookcase until I'm in the mood to play Monoply.

[Mazeppa]

I saw the title and thought for sure I was gonna have to move
this to H&S.   

My wife just bought a HP PDA thingie but since you said no
PocketPC people allowed in this thread I ain't gonna tell you
about it.   

LMAO!  Sorry, I must have had a brain cramp when I titled the topic.  I modified it, so I suspect I will have less people reading it.  

[KBF-Kapact]

I bought a Palm Zire 72 on eBay recently.  It was bundled with the Wi-Fi card, and the price was right.  It is still in transit, but I expect to get it Friday. 

I was looking to use a Palm Zire 31 to run a chess program called HIARCS  ( http://www.hiarcs.com/palm_hiarcs.htm   and http://www.hiarcs.com/phresults.htm ).  I was originally going to buy the Zire 31, but the eBay deal was too sweet, and the Zire 72 screen is better, and the chess program runs better on the 72's faster procesor.  And surfing at the many free Wi-fi spots sounds very cool. 

Since I'll be getting a nicer, more capable  PDA than planned, I began to wonder what else I might do with a Palm.  What do you use your Palm to do?

Can you use it for shopping lists?  e-mail?  I'd be interested in any tasks you use your Palm to acomplish.

(PocketPC users, I'm sure you have good stories, but this is not the thread for them.)   

I have a palm m505 that I use for writing, emailing (offline... I just sync to the big computer to send/receive.) I also put heaps of books and pictures on it. Appointments, calculator, I have a few games on it, including a pretty good "asteroids" game.... chess, solitare.... heaps of things. I don't leave home without it....

[kmelew]

Ever since I got my Dell Pocket PC, my Palm Vx is serving admirably as a doorstop. 

[Mazeppa]

Ever since I got my Dell Pocket PC, my Palm Vx is serving admirably as a doorstop. 

OK, you sort of sucked me into a Pocket PC/Palm discussion.

I was at first inclined to get a Pocket PC because it looked so very familiar with the various Office programs that would work on it. 

But my objective was first and foremost to get the very best handheld chess computer I could, within a reasonable budget.  I want to be able to play chess on the go, and have a strong chess computer to use when I go to tournaments, in case I have an adjourned position, and want to analyze overnight. 

I have several dedicated tabletop chess computers, so I thought of a dedicated handheld model first.  There are dedicated chess computers that would fill the bili.  The best ones are the Novag Star Sapphire and the Star Ruby (http://www.novag.com/Web%202005/ENGLISH%202005/travel-E.htm)  The Star Ruby costs around $130 (http://www.chessusa.com/cgi-bin/store.cgi?page=8/80-N18.html&item=80-N18) and the Star Sapphire is close to $200.  Both come with a large momochrome display.  I would prefer a color display.

I then found out that HIARCS, one of the best PC software programs, was available for the Palm.  It's also available for Pocket PC's through a translation program (StyleTap), but it runs 25% slower, and thus, weaker. 

The cheapest Pocket PC I could find new was $350.00, and that was more than I could justify to Lady Mazeppa.  I could buy a monochrome Zire 21 for sixty bucks on sale.  The color Zire 31 was around $160.  Then I was able to get a Zire 72 with a bigger color display AND the Wi-Fi card for around $230, including shipping, on eBay. 

I'm sure the Pocket PC does some cool things, but I have this Palm, and I want to figure out what things I can do with it, other than play chess.   

[Just plain old Punisher]

I take it out for dinner, and a movie. I also open up car doors for it too!

But the bitch still won't put out!

Dammit sync!! SYNC!!!!!