Sometimes I forget why I stick to Palm (not really, I hate pretty much everything else, well, except a certain Apple product). I’ve been on a Palm since my university days. I remember pecking at the screen and fluently writing Grafiti with the stylus and pen to enter my semester schedule and tasks. At one time I even had a portable keyboard that I use to hammer in longer notes in the library (no laptop love back then). When I started working I ventured a while in the world of Symbian (Nokia E61) and also more recently Windows Mobile but finally came a full circle and found my love again with a Palm Centro.
But enough about me. You just have to see how this particular math teacher uses his Zire 71 (I had that model before) - Everything but the Ref (Wonders of the Palm PDA). His post reminds me of what a Palm is really capable of
- it looks good (via an assortment of software - Agendus, ZLauncher). SkinUI if you’re adventerous
- a very capable PIM
- a dictionary
- a portable gaming device
- an MP3 and video player (this thing practically plays almost all the audio/video format out there, with no conversion)
- a web browser
- a MS Office powershouse (this thing does Office 2007)
- a remote desktop device
- graphing calculator
- an ebook reader
My usage pattern demands a bit more from my Palm device:
- a portable email device
- an expense, savings account and credit card tracker
- a Facebook client
- an audio book player
I think Palm OS is pretty good. It’s obvious from the list - if you need a smartphone or PDA for cheap, Palm is still a very viable option. If you love productivity, it’s even one of the better choices around.