Pocket mac

[tcjohns]

Finally, a chance that my Jornada 540 will finally come out of the box in the garage. If you haven't heard there's a new program which allows you to sync your (fill in your most distained pocket pc) with your mac. Right now it's fairly basic for moving files, but the pro version due for release soon will allow you to sync with Entourage. I've been playing with it for a couple of days and it's pretty slick. When the pro version is released I may have to finally put away my Newton. Check it out at http://www.pocketmac.net (I think that's right).
-Chet

[AdmiralAK]

do u seriously find a pocket PC more productive than a newton ?!?!?!?!?!?!!?

[tcjohns]

In all honesty. No. The pocket PC is another palm-like address book/note pad. The Newton is really a small computer with some really robust programs still available. I couldn't afford the Newton when it was first released so I've only been a Newton user for a year or two. That means I've had to learn how to adapt it to Mac hardware not designed for it. I've also had to search for available help and programs. What's neat is how large, active and helpful the newton community still is. I've even borrowed my wife's wireless pc card (D-link 650) and am in the process of setting it up to access our email with my Newton and airport. Palm's just getting around to that. The best part is, have you ever left a palm device in a desktop over a holiday weekend (or similar), come back and found out your batteries had died and everything you had input over the past month (and not backed up) was gone. That doesn't happen with the newton.

I bought the Jornada to use as a datebook and memo pad. Up until now, as a mac user, it hasn't even served well for that. I'm in a line of work where I've gotten to see or test drive most of the PDAs on the market. Even the notebook sized PDAs (like compaq's Aero). This one plays music, that one has a large screen and keyboard, this one has a camera adapter, that one uses a memory stick. Bottom line, they're all about the same and all very limited. Ever try to read a large text file or spreadsheet in a pocket PC? Might as well go to lunch while waiting for word CE or Excel CE to load it. Games? I've got lots of Newton games to play during business trips and they were all free downloads.

I don't want apple to enter the PDA market. I want apple to return with a Newton 3000. Something with the sophistication of the Newton built with today's technology, like firewire, built in hard drive, easy communication with a network. And real handwriting recognition (like the Newton MP 2000 already has). For a piece of hardware which has been out of production for 5 years, the Newton is still years ahead of the competition.

So the answer is no, nothing I have tried in the pocket pc line even comes close to the Newton. And since you can now pick up a Newton MP 2000 for less than the price of a Palm 100, I've got two.
-Chet

[gmed]

I have to disagree with you, Ive had a Newton MP 2000, and I find my Pocket PC way ahead of the Newton. Im a doctor, and I have several medical programs on my pocket pc, reference, medical formulas, you name it. The handwriting recognition is actually as good if not better than the Newton. The handwriting is very simillar to the Newton. For a student , it would be great, b/c you have Excel and Word, which can be synched with the Excel and Word on your PC or Mac( Using PocketMac). Although I have my hopes up that someday Jobs will introduce another Apple PDA, for now, I cant live without my Pocket PC.

[AdmiralAK]

I disagree with you.
I have more "productive" programs on my newton. The only slightly more productive are my dictionairies that are more sophisticated than my newton ones.

As for HWR, the newton one is the better of the two, it just recognizes mine better, and it is easier to edit.


Spreadsheets, word processing, drawing and possibly even database (I am not sure as a fact since I dont have a DB program on my newton) can be achieved with the newton.



Admiral

[tcjohns]

I too am in the medical field. I've tried epocrates and the electronic version of the pocket pharmacopia on my palm and have been underwhelmed. I also downloaded several of the current concept books for my pocket pc as reference and they take an eternity to open. In part I guess it depends on your practice. As an ER physician I find I usually don't have the time to wait 5 minutes for a word CE document to load and wind up depending on my memory more. I do know some of the private practice physicians use their palm handhelds more than I do, but I actually use a laptop for reference more often than a handheld. I also find it irritating that when the batteries run out (my fault, I know) everything is gone requiring a time-consuming reload. I would be interested in hearing what products you use with your pocket pc as I am open to experimentation.
-Chet