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July 26, 2005
PDA Thoughts - Palm vs. Treo
One of the long-running objections many people have had to buying a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) such as a Palm Handheld or a Pocket PC is that it's one more thing you have to carry around with you. The notion of combining a PDA with a mobile phone has been around for years now, but the newest versions of this combination are affordable and practical.
The evolution of the Palm Treo series of PDA/phones has changed the user's decision-making process when it comes to choosing a PDA. One would think that buying a Treo 650 or a Blackberry would settle the decision, but handheld manufacturers are continually adding features to the rest of their product lines to entice the buyer.
The first question you need to ask yourself is "How am I going to use my PDA?" If your primary reason for using a PDA is to keep your day planner and address/phone book, the Treo makes good sense. The Palm OS interface is easy to use and can be merged with popular software packages for the PC, such as Outlook, ACT!, or Franklin-Covey's software. By having the phone built-in, you can look up someone in your contact list and call them without extra steps. If you have an Internet option in your wireless service, you can even send/receive e-mail from the Treo. seashell software offers training, both on-line and in the New Orleans area, in using the Treo as well as standard Palm PDAs, so you have the option of expert consultation in its use.
All this sounds good so far? OK, then why would someone bother with a Palm PDA that doesn't have a phone built in? The biggest drawback to the Treo is the size of the PDA. Because it's designed to be your mobile phone as well as your PDA, the overall size of the screen is much smaller than the typical handheld. If your primary purpose in using the PDA is to replace your schedule/address book, this won't be a problem for you. If you want to do other things with the Palm, it can be a drawback. Here are a few examples:
1. One of the neat features of the Palm operating system is that you can read documents in many formats on your handheld. Adobe makes a PDF reader for the Palm, and programs such as Documents-to-Go and MobiPocket enable the user to read MS-Word and text files. This makes the Palm a great e-reader platform. Reading on the handheld uses your battery up faster than using it as a phone/schedule book, however; after reading a few chapters of a novel while on a plane, the user might run the battery of a Treo down to the point where they can't make a call when the plane lands!
2. Documents-to-Go not only enables the Palm user to read Word documents, it gives you the ability to write Word documents, make Excel spreadsheets, and design PowerPoint presentations. The screen size of a Treo severely limits these functions, but the Tungsten line of Palm handhelds offers a number of options for screen size. They're all larger than the phone/PDA combination, and they're easy to use. (Again, seashell software offers training in the New Orleans area for linking the Palm to Microsoft Office).
3. While the Treo allows the user to connect to the Internet via the phone's wireless service, many users need to access Local Area Networks. Several models in the Tungsten line of Palm handhelds will accept an add-on wireless networking card that will allow you to connect to a wireless access point in your office, at a client, or in a coffee shop. There are several telnet and ssh client programs available for the Palm that enable a user to turn their Palm into a terminal that can connect with a UNIX host or mainframe.
To sum it up, the current choice in PDAs revolves on whether you're going to use the handheld more as a phone or as a computer. If it's a phone and scheduler first, go with the Treo. If you want a true handheld computer, then you need to shop for the right Tungsten model.
If you have more questions, we'll be glad to help. Drop us a line or give us a call at 504-339-5087. After all, that's what we do for a living - teach!
Posted by Edward J. Branley at July 26, 2005 11:37 AM
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