OT: Which PDA is best?

General Knitting
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Hi :waving:

I am tinkering around with the idea of finally getting a PDA. However, I visited the Amazon website to find one…and…came away more confused than ever.

I have never been someone that buys something first…nor do I “over-buy” beyond my “use” intentions. I don’t need the bells and whistles for the sake of them.

What I want a PDA for is to keep track of certain information.
I don’t need it for sync-ing with OUTLOOK, nor Blue-toothing it to my laptop.

Information I want to store in it would not be stored in my laptop.
They would hold separate information, with the exception of one or two files.

I would like to use WORD and EXCEL on a PDA, if that is possible.
I have created an EXCEL Yarn Stash Spreadsheet on my laptop that I would love to send to a PDA. I guess you know why.

I would like a PDA to accept a USB thumb drive for transfering small files like an EXCEL Spreadsheet.

Can anyone make a suggestion? What PDA would you suggest, and why?

Forever in your debt…:muah:

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I don’t even know what a PDA is :oops:

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I have a Palm Tungsten E2 that is great. I think it was just under $200. I like by my PDA - everything I need is in it.

You can download Excel files from your computer. Hotsyncing with your computer is a [I]really[/I] good thing - in case your pda crashes (like my old one) and you won’t lose all your data. You could password protect the data if you don’t want anyone else to have access.

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PDAs-Personal Data Assistant-(from WIKI) Personal data assistants are handheld computers that were originally designed as personal organizers, but became much more versatile over the years.

I really can’t help you on this all that much, heck I just now got a cell phone! My DH has a Blackberry and he really likes it. Here is a website that might help you out some-if you go to cnet.com and type in PDAs, it might help in your search. Good luck!

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you will want to be synching it with your home machine regularly- just in case you have a total power drain or accidental data dump… (can you tell it happened to me?) I love my old Tungsten E- (a version of the PALM pilot) spreadsheet, and address book and calendar. but I’m not sure they even make it anymore! My best friend loves her new blackberry that has more computing options, but if you don’t need the email/ phone aspect, it is a lot of money.

If you are just looking for a simple device- I’d look for one with lots of built in memory, a screen you can see and write on comfortably, that supports your favorite programs (excel, whatever). try to visit a place like CompUSA or Best Buy where you can look at them. I would stay away from battery draining functions like music player.

I think mine cost around US$175, plus a little more for a decent case, a few extra stylus pens, and an extra charger. (2 or 3 years ago) I like the PALM interfaces, but it is such a personal thing. Amazon has lots of good reviews of particular units. good luck!

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Hi Marykz! Hi Doublereeder2! Thanks for the input! Arrgh…yet another device that can, and probably will, crash. (If it can, it will.) I did not know that PDA’s can crash.

I will take your advice. I am going to visit CompUSA, Office Depot, Staples, and the like…and give them a try. I am assuming they have demo floor models.

Hi figaro! Thanks for the tip about cnet.com! I found lots of links there and reader/owner reviews.

The thing that really throws me is this: any one PDA will have ratings from A to Z. There always has to be one or two individuals who HATE the device, and have very logical reasons for their disdain!

I appreciate the advice of others! I am also going to go back over all my issues of Consumer Reports, and get their input. They always give the straight dope.

Anyone else at KH have a favorite PDA? I hope KnittingGuy Mason sees this and comments. Well, I might have to PM him. He is a computer guy.

[B]Next question:[/B] [COLOR=blue][B]how do y’all store your user names and passwords?[/B][/COLOR]
Do you use the post-it notes? Do you use one of those electronic password programs, specifically designed for password retention?

My passwords have become very complex, and all of them are different…unlike days gone by… where one password was used for everything. Unless you like to live life on the edge, ya gotta have strong passwords…and ya gotta change important passwords every now and then. Cripes. Sometimes I can’t even remember my dang username.

I would also like to keep track of my usernames and passwords on my PDA…but, if a PDA can suffer data loss/crash/meltdown…there goes that trust issue! That’s one thing about a piece of paper. No one can hack it, and other than a housefire…passwords on a piece of paper can’t go up in smoke.

My pieces of paper are getting out of hand. I write on the backs of my business cards and keep them in a safe place…however, it is ridiculous when I try to shuffle through them to find the password I need. I feel like a Las Vegas dealer!

Sigh. :pout:

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I always check cnet before buying an electronic. Yes its true that there are always a few people who give bad reviews for valid reasons but I figure if the majority of people like the product and give it a good review its probably good. No matter how good a product is at least one person will experience a problem with it but they are in the minority.

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Yes, U R right. That is true. Thanks for the input Katie! :thumbsup:

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Oh boy…a topic right UP my alley! I :heart: technology!!!

Ok. My dh bought me the [COLOR=Red]HP iPAQ hx2495[/COLOR] PDA two Christmas’ ago. I :heart: it.

It hot-synchs with my PC. It does have Bluetooth, which I know you said you don’t want, but you never know when you’ll need it. It has a wireless network card, so I can get online in hotspots. Very handy. Especially when I need a quick KH fix. :wink:

Oh, and you can buy SD cards, and with an SD card reader easily transfer files back and forth between other computers (you can only set up hot synch for one computer). SD cards are the way to go so you don’t use up all of the space on the gadget’s hard drive. Most cases have places built in to hold the SD cards.

It has Windows Mobile, Excel, Word, and PowerPoint. Of course, you can’t get too fancy in these programs, but they are do-able.

I keep soccer phone rosters (Excel files) on it and have no problems reading or amending them. I really do love the ability to synch it with Outlook too. When I’m at the doctor, I can easily see what’s on my schedule six months from now…

Anyhow, this is just my recommendation! Unless you go with something like a PDA/cell phone, which I’m probably going to do next year…when I’ve graduated from college and am making the big $$. :teehee:

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Thank you very much Auburnchick! :muah: I appreciated the link, too.
I briefly looked at the specs for it…but will read more in depth later.

I know what you mean about bluetooth. My DELL laptop has bluetooth capability. I added it in when I bought this laptop…cuz ya never know. I have not used it. Hmmm…Well, [I]am I using it[/I] (???)when I take my laptop to an art show…and grab the householder’s wireless internet signal? Or their neighbor’s internet signal?

Funny thing…one art show I did…I had SIX internet signals to chose from! The householder I was visiting had a secure wireless internet signal…but I told her not to bother giving me access to hers…I would just hop onto her neighbor’s signal! FYI: I don’t use my administrator account for this kind of internet access. I have set up a GUEST account, with absolutely nothing in it except the big blue E for internet.

Sounds like your PDA is just the ticket!

Hmmm, I did not realize that cellphones have PDA capabilities. I recently upgraded to the Verizon Cherry Chocolate. I had the option at the time of getting the BlackBerry, or other upline phones, for a very reasonable upcharge. Hmmm. I don’t remember seeing their PDA capabilities. Darn. :pout:

Well, thanks again! I will give more serious thought to the hot-sync features. It sounds good! I love devices that allow for the SD card insertion. My DELL laptop has that capability…and gee whiz! Does it ever make for quick photo downloading! No pain! And when we are on vacation…every night my DH wants us to look over the day’s photos on this laptop!

I also use several San disk “cruzer” thumb drives. That is also a great way to save files and transfer files back and forth.

Say, does your PDA accept a USB instrument? Is there a USB port on it somewhere?

Also, Auburnchick, what method do you use for controlling your usernames and passwords? Do you save them on your PDA? If so, are you ever worried about being hacked, that someone will make off with this critical information?

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I 2nd the Ipaq recommendation. I’m on mt 2nd or 3rd and I LOVE them. My last one was lost in my parent’s recliner couch for about a year. If I could find all the parts I tossed or lost when I thought it was stolen at work, I’d sell it. I got one as a hand-me-down from my husband when he was rewarded one at work and got rid of my Palm ASAP! (This was at least 5 yrs ago so I’m sure they’ve changed some since then!)

Definitely get one with a card. I back mine up there every now and then on there too. My ONLY complaint with it is that the stylus falls out really easily! I have to keep it in it’s case upside down, but it still falls out when I’m pulling it out sometimes.

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My PDA does NOT have a usb port on it. It connects to the computer through a cradle that has a usb port on one end.

You know, I might go back to Verizon and ask them about changing your plan, if you find you really are interested.

[B][COLOR=Red]Here[/COLOR] [/B]is one link I quickly found. It’s a Microsoft site that shows several Verizon Smartphones. [B][COLOR=Lime]Here’s[/COLOR][/B] another link (actual Verizon site) showing more phones.

The only thing I don’t like about the PDA is that it is one MORE thing to carry in my purse! That’s why I’m giving serious thought to buying a smartphone next go around. The only downside is that my monthly Sprint bill will go up because I’ll be paying for internet service on the phone. I think it will be worth it because my Booga bag doesn’t seem to like carrying too much stuff. :wink:

Oh, and passwords…

I don’t have my passwords written down anywhere, and I have a bunch. I tend to use the same two or three at different sites. I just started a new job that ASSIGNS passwords, so that’s one more I’ll throw into the rotation.

I’m a little scared of putting the passwords anywhere because anyone can hack into them.

I don’t know how many you actually have, but one suggestion might be to change them all to the same thing, then once every couple of months, change the “master” password. Depending on how many passwords you have, this could be cumbersome.

Or, you could do something like this…all of your bills/banking sites have the same passwords…your web forum sites have a different password, yada, yada, yada. That way you have the same password for the same “type” of logon or site. If that makes sense.

I think that this is a problem we all struggle with, so there’s just no easy answer.

Let me know what you decide on your PDA!!!

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Thinking along the lines of a smartphone…

The newer phones are using micro-SD cards. They come with a special reader thing that you stick the card into and then put into the reader itself (since the card is so small).

For Christmas, my in-laws got me a 2gb (yes, you’re reading that correctly) micro-SD card for the new phone I had just purchased in November (Sprint’s Fusic). The phone plays music, which takes up mega space. The 2gb card holds quite a bit of music. I’m quite happy with it. You can find cards on Ebay and other good, discounted computer retailers.

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Hi Nathalie! Hi Kelly! :waving:

I thank you for your time and input. I will let you know what I decide upon. One thing about me…I make it a “study” when I springboard into another piece of technology. I think the reason why the PDA capabilities of the BlackBerry (etc) went right over my head…is that I was not looking for it. :pout:

I will call my Verizon guy and ask him about my upgrade possiblities at this point…although Natalie, your HP iPaq PDA sounds and looks like it is much more useful in many more ways than an “all-in-one”.

All-in-one, master-at-none? :teehee:

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HEY GUESS WHAT??? My Verizon Cherry Chocolate has a microSD slot! Hmmm…will it hold an Excel doc? Hmmm, don’t know how I would move the doc from point A to point B.

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Your phone probably came with a 64mb card. That’s what all of our new phones came with. It doesn’t hold much, but it would work for a few things.

Get a card reader…nearly any store carries them. You pop the sd card into the reader, and the reader pops into a usb port.

Go into File Explorer (my computer) and look for either E:\ or F:. It will be obvious.

Just copy and paste your files. Or, while the file is open, do File, Save As, and select the location of the SD card.

Oh, and I really love my iPAQ. It’s just with trying to carry a knitting bag, college books, purse, and cell phone…yikes! I’m getting to where I want an all-in-one.

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Yes, I went to MY COMPUTER…and with my SD memory card in the slot…and my SanDisk Cruzer one of the USB ports…MY COMPUTER shows C:Local Disk / D: DVD/RW drive / E: Kodak / F:U3System / G:Removable Disk!

F & G are co-related to the SanDisk Cruzer thumb drive.

I know what you mean about the card reader. I am going to need a card reader adapter soon. We want to buy a Cuddeback Trail Cam…which only houses CF memory cards…and my laptop only receives a SD card. We want to be able to use my laptop toview the bear and cougar shots whilst on our mountain property. There is a CF cardreader which will enable us to hook up with a USB port on the laptop. We can bypass the SD slot altogether.

So now you know I am going to try it out! I would love to be able to send that Yarn Stash Excel file to my cellphone and view my yarn stash data!

The Cherry Chocolate did not come with a microSD card installed. I didn’t see one in the box either.

I wouldn’t fool around with anything less than 1G if I purchase one.

All my camera SD cards are 2G…and my SanDisk Cruzers are 2G and 4G. So handy-dandy! Even the 512 MB thumb drives hold a surprising amount of data and photos!

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You can find card readers that read multiple types of cards.

Look at [B][COLOR=Cyan]this[/COLOR][/B] link. TigerDirect is a great company to order from. This card reader is pretty inexpensive and can accommodate many types of cards.

Happy shopping!!!

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Thanks! :happydance: You caught me just in time…why have 2 or 3 different card readers??? Der. I will definitely get it, as well as the SDmicro for my Cherry Chocolate.

I am going to Costco tomorrow to spend my $297 rebate…it is an American Express Costco rebate thing. Fun! I hope they carry that HP-iPaq 2495 that you have! How sweeet to get almost $300 off! :happydance: Well, we’ll see. Maybe they will have the microSD card, too.

Today the UPS dude delivered a neat gadget! Instead of ordering yet another camcorder battery…at $80 a pop…I got a TurboCharger for the two batteries I already have! I can plug the TurboCharger into my husbands generator…and juice them up in one hour’s time.

We have 20 acres ON TOP of Nighthawk Summit in the Northeasten Washington wilderness…no electricity, no water, no nothin. Just wind, air and sun…birds, bees, bears, cougars, coyotes, eagles, nighthawks, ravens, chipmunks, squirrels, deer, moose, and the clickety-click of my knitting needles! I will now be able to film as many hours as need be!

Thanks again to all of your help EVERYONE! :cheering::muah::hug:

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such pretty pictures… how lucky you are! :slight_smile: