Here at ProfHacker, we’ve written about many different digital tools that help you keep track of a great deal of information. Many of those tools synchronize across devices: desktop to laptop to smartphone.
Recognizing that smartphones are becoming more and more common, Amy asked if you prefer iPhone or Android for your OS. Julie upped the ante by writing about “using super smartphones for productivity.” Of course, a paper-based planner is still fine for some people, as Jason has acknowledged, and not everybody necessarily needs to maintain an online calendar. I’m curious, however, about that space in between the smart phone user and the pen-and-paper devotee. For me, the holy trinity of digital productivity tools — the three functions I could not do without — are probably an email client, a calendar, and a to-do list app. I love the convenience of being able to access the information these tools contain regardless of where I am or which device I’m using.
However, using a smart phone brings with it a fairly significant monthly data plan cost. Lately I’ve been thinking about what it would be like to use a regular cell phone—you know, just for phone calls!—alongside a small, non-phone digital device like an iPod touch. This would, in effect, be a practice taking me back to the 1990s, when the concept of the PDA (“Personal Digital Assistant”) was first introduced. I have an iPod Touch, and I could easily load the most-used apps from my iPhone onto the Touch, instead. There’s a wireless Internet network almost everywhere I go, which would allow me to be online with my Touch without paying my cellphone service provider a monthly fee.
Hmm…
How about you? Do you use a non-smartphone in tandem with a non-phone PDA? If so, please use the comments below to tell us about your experience. Alternately (if you’re a smartphone user), would you be willing to switch to using a non-phone PDA, instead? Why or why not? Let us hear from you!
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27 Responses to Whatever Happened to PDAs?
lincolnmullen - July 22, 2010 at 3:27 pm
That’s essentially what I do. I have a cheap cell phone and cheap voice-only plan. I use the iPod Touch as a PDA with WiFi. It’d be nice to have a smartphone, but I’m not willing to pay considering that I’m usually in places with WiFi.
crankycat - July 22, 2010 at 4:14 pm
I also have a very basic cell phone and an iPod Touch. Cell phone coverage in my area is spotty, so it’s not worth it to pay for the premium phone and 4G access. I use the WiFi on the iPod when I’m in range and I use the calendar app constantly.
samplereality - July 22, 2010 at 4:25 pm
I got my iPod Touch too, as a replacement PDA once my faithful Palm Tungsten T3 began having trouble (i.e. a battery life of 18 minutes). Oddly enough, the transition marked the only time in my life I used Microsoft Outlook. I synced my Palm to Outlook (easily done through the Outlook conduit), and then also synced my Touch to Outlook. Contacts, Dates, and Notes all synced perfectly—which has always seemed to be the greatest challenge when switching to a new contact/calendar system.
brianborchers - July 22, 2010 at 7:15 pm
I’m another happy user of an iPod Touch and a cheap pay-as-you-go cell phone. I really wish that there was a similar Android device to compete with the iPod Touch.
billiehara - July 22, 2010 at 7:37 pm
I miss a lot of little things (ok, not so little about my old PDA, a Palm Treo). I liked being able to add an external keyboard. It was small, but I could actually prop the PDA up on a little stand and TYPE. That was cool. As I mentioned in an earlier post this week (and @samplereality mentioned this, too) was being able to sync to EndNote. I really (really) liked having my sources with me….
michaelnelson - July 22, 2010 at 9:01 pm
iPod Touch + cheap cell phone (no data plan) is also the way I go. I hope to eventually use it as a mini-computer. A foldable bluetooth keyboard will help, I think.This is what I did with my old Dell Axim pda (it finally stopped working reliably after about 7 years). I still miss some of the software (Repligo for Windows Mobile 2003 was a fantastic document reader; SoftMaker’s office suite easily beats anything on iOS and Android that I have seen). Nevertheless, I’ll admit that if money were no object, I would probably go with the iPhone and data plan.
chetccr - July 23, 2010 at 7:56 am
I still have, and religiously use my DELL Axim PDA I purchased 6 or 7 years ago, despite having a blackberry. I use it basically as a portable Rolodex (remember those)in which I store not only contacts, but sensitive info such as account numbers, logging ID’s, and comments, which I wouldn’t dream of uploading to my cell phone or Outlook at the office. It may be duplication of efforts, but serves as a secure external back up of contact data, in case your desktop PC or laptop crashes.
matt_l - July 23, 2010 at 8:33 am
Back in the early aughts I used a handspring visor and a pay as you go cellphone for a while. I have a smartphone now (Palm pre) and I am thinking of going back to something like a pda and voice + text plan. The problem is that I don’t really like talking to people on the phone that much, so a smart phone with email, IM and SMS works for me. So maybe I would try something like a cheap cellphone plus an iPad with 3G for when I want to use Google Maps or something. But the smartphone is nice, because it rolls four gadgets into one (camera, phone, music and pda).
colmanlibrary - July 23, 2010 at 9:38 am
I also continue to use a PDA and cheap cell phone. My PDA is a Dell Axim which I keep synced to my work computer and take with me whenever I leave the office. Its wi-fi capabilities are not great and its battery life is rather short, but it does the job and after 6 years, its earned its keep. One of our IT guys told me I’m the only one on campus he knows of still using a PDA! I’m probably going to replace it with a Touch but I plan to stay with the same 2 device concept you’re suggesting. Sure, I’d love to have a smartphone, but I just can’t justify that costly monthly toll.
betteb - July 23, 2010 at 9:43 am
I couldn’t live without my Palm One calender. Recently bought a Kindle, which I also love. Considered iPad, but I only want email and surfing at my desk. When out, someone else always has a iPhone if something needs to be looked up. Saves me money AND keeps me from being a slave to technology and always tethered like everyone else. I use my (already old-fashioned) cell phone only for calls. (No texting!)
raza_khan - July 23, 2010 at 9:57 am
I would say it is a matter of choice and comfort. I still have a smartphone HTC Evo 4G with Sprint and also have HP 211 PDA. If I am looking from the perspective of choice, I like to have them both. There are certain things I do not like about smartphones and that being finger-friendly. You get to have fingerprints (and oils from your skin) all over the display. Keep in mind that display size on Evo is 4.3 screen so it looks awful sometimes. I like HP 211 as I am so used to using stylus with that PDA and I like the idea of having it on the dock at my office or when I am at home. Obviously, I would not do the dock a “mobile” smartphone.If I am looking from the perspective of comfort, I would not want to have two of them and especially in summer months when we tend to dress down and have less pockets in our clothes. Is there any software that I like on my PDA that I could not find an identical or similar application on my smartphone? The answer is truly No! So I could live without my PDA.The whole idea of having a smartphone (and I will admit that I have a read and know about them and I own quite a few from the best business smartphone Nokia E90 to Nokia E63, Nokia N97, Samsung Omnia i8910 HD and now HTC Evo 4G) is that you find ONE perfect device that does the following:1. Maintain and sync your contacts, calendar notes2. Read news and check weather, browse internet3. E-reader while you are on the train or on bus or on plane4. Phone calls, SMS, MMS, EMS, and Emails5. Read and Edit many fomats of documents (Work, Excel, PowerPoint)6. Keep in touch with friends and family: IM, facebook, twitter, skype and various others7. Check accounts – such as applications for bank, mortgage, electricity, eBay accounts8. Play music and video and including downloading and playing through applications9. GPS feature of navigation10. Watch live TV 11. Applications in one’s fields sucn as chemistry in my case.These are some of the features of MANY that one can now find in one smartphone making the case of having a seperate physical device very difficult.Raza_________________________________Dr. Raza Khan, Ph.D., P.D.Sciences FacultyCarroll Community CollegeWestminster, MD 21158
pile6792 - July 23, 2010 at 10:02 am
It’s what I do. I put a Skype app on my iTouch, and I can use it as a phone overseas, as well as any place in the States where there is wireless. Plus I save myself the monthly fees. But I also have an ordinary cellphone primarily for emergencies here at home. Although because I live in a rural local, there are still many places without cellphone coverage.
george_h_williams - July 23, 2010 at 10:08 am
I had no idea so many of our readers were still using PDAs! I am pleasantly surprised.@raza_khan: You write, “These are some of the features of MANY that one can now find in one smartphone making the case of having a seperate physical device very difficult.” The point of my post is not that a phone can’t do the same things that a PDA does. Rather, the phones that can usually require a monthly data plan, which adds (sometimes significantly) to the cost of owning and using a cell phone.
csgirl - July 23, 2010 at 10:16 am
I am impressed that so many people find the iTouch to be useful. I won one in a contest, and played with it for a while, but don’t get the point of it. The apps are mainly Internet-centric, but the thing only has Internet access when on a wifi network – but those are hard to find. And when I am in a spot with wifi, I almost always have a computer or laptop available, so why would I use an iTouch? Also, its ability to connect to wifi is seriously dicey – it seems to only be able to connect about 25% of the time – and its fake keyboard is beyond useless. But mainly, without Internet, it just seems like a not-very-good PDA to me.I used to use a dedicated PDA, which I think is still a better solution than an iTouch because PDAs are optimized to that particular task. Now, I have a Treo with a data plan, and will upgrade to a Droid2 once they hit Verizon.
drjeff - July 23, 2010 at 10:22 am
I must be a closet luddite (in IT and develop cutting-edge software, after all). I like not being connected when I’m away from home and the office. I use a Palm Vx (it says IBM WorkPad c3 on it) that I got used on eBay about 10 years ago. The battery life is down to about 24 hours (from the original 2 weeks), but aside from that, it’s perfect. The hard case is dented, scratched, and has pieces broken off from dropping it so often, but the PDA is really tough. It’s amazing how much “stuff” I keep in my PDA, from technical manuals in PDF to system configurations and passwords. Basically, anything I might need to know when away from my (own) PC.My phone can’t even send a text. If I really have to, I go to a PC and use Google Voice for that. (I’m not a *complete* luddite.)I really do like being able to pick up the phone, talk with someone, and look something up on my PDA while I’m talking without having to find the Bluetooth earpiece.And, since we only use phones for talking, we have a 700 min/month plan from T-Mobile for 3 phones for $70/month. Even with a teenage daughter, we only use about half the minutes, most months. And since she can’t text, she gets her homework done much earlier than her friends do. She says she’d rather get some sleep than text. (Don’t know how I raised a kid who makes such good decisions!)
serenepup - July 23, 2010 at 11:28 am
I’m not a luddite – I love new gadgets – but I’m cheap. And I still use a Palm m515 and an AT&T GoPhone (pay-as-you-go) — I pay aprox $9/month. I have yet to find another device that does the Calendar and To Do list as well as the old Palm PDA (not even the new Palm smart phones). And I don’t want to use my fingers, I like the stylus! I use my phone for email if I absolutely must be in touch away from the office. But I don’t like carrying 3 devices (including my iPod), so when/if my Palm ever dies, I’ll consider getting an unlocked Blackberry or other smart phone (no contract, it would accept my GoPhone’s SIM card), or an iTouch — it’s great to hear you can use Skype on an iTouch!
alanng - July 23, 2010 at 11:39 am
iTouch + pay-per-minute cellphone. If you’re on a public-university salary, with meetings all over campus, working at an industry-level pace, it’s the only way to survive.
nmhouston - July 23, 2010 at 12:02 pm
I was an early adopter of the first Palm Pilot and lived out of a series of Palm devices for many years. I’m still sad they stopped making PDAs. When my TX gave up the ghost I moved to a low-level Android phone (which I use on a data-only plan, essentially as a PDA; my cell phone for calls is separate). Yes, there’s a monthly charge, but it suits my needs to have two devices. There’s a fairly large community of ex-Palm users on some of the Android sites, letting developers know about the to-do, calendar, PIM integration Palm did so well. I’m still hopeful some Android developer will step into that gap.
aketchum - July 23, 2010 at 12:27 pm
I see no reason to have an expensive smartphone when my iTouch covers most of my needs with no contract. I get no cell coverage at work due to architectural issues; I use Skype on iTouch to make overseas calls for $0; with GoogleVoice I could get no-contract phones since all calls are forwarded to all my numbers anyway.
uidaho1 - July 23, 2010 at 12:44 pm
When I was working I relied on a non-networked HP iPaq. In retirement, I carry a simple cellphone and an iPod Touch. Free WiFi is getting to be surprisingly ubiquitous. Just got back from a trip, and free connections were found at airports- Boston Logan and SeaTac- McDonalds, coffee shops like Starbucks, on Alaska Air (this month only), and inexpensive motels (paradoxically, it’s the posh places that charge for access). A directory App- WiFi Finder– will keep you connected.The drawback to the iPod is battery life. Mine drains in 4 or five hours as a browser and it’s difficult to find a place to recharge. Boston Logan has chairs with 110v and USB ports, but SeaTac charges for outlets.
urspider - July 23, 2010 at 1:48 pm
Cell phone? What’s that?I don’t use one because to do good intellectual work I need to focus. That means I don’t pick up a phone or check e-mail beyond a few times per day. Yeah, I’m a luddite. I don’t trust our hive-minded culture. It’s dangerous to the life of good thought. But when I need community, it should be by opting in, as we all are doing right now in these replies.The old Zire31 PDA keeps my calendar for me. And it’s not shared. That privacy, too, should be a perogative of the academic life, free from creeping corporatism in our schools.If you need my office hours, as the university’s policy demands, they and my teaching schedule are posted on my door and Web sites. Beyond that, my time is my own darned business.
cwonders - July 23, 2010 at 2:03 pm
I have a small Samsung Intensity cell phone for calls and texting; I use my IPad for calendaring, tasking, web browsing, and reading (digital editions of books and magazines.) I’m very happy with the arrangement. As you note, with wifi nearly everywhere, I’ve opted to not set up my 3G plan with AT&T, but that option is there for times when I’m traveling and don’t have access to wifi.
drluccia - July 23, 2010 at 3:04 pm
I’ve used and loved PDAs going back to my first; a Handspring. The convenience of a small device that kept my calendar, contacts, and eventually documents in order was what I needed. When Handspring returned to the Palm mothership, I also migrated there. Again, the convenience of having a folding keyboard paired with a PDA for note-taking in meetings and then downloading my notes to my laptop back in my office was a huge part of my PDA love. I also kept my lecture notes on it as well as a PDA version of Gradebook so I could handle most classroom chores with a minimum of gear and fuss.As far as cellphones go, I was spoiled by my Star-Tac. No company has come up with a phone so light, so easy to carry, and so future-y looking ever since. Of course, the mandatory GPS circuitry did bulk up cell phones beyond the svelte lines of the Star-Tac.I briefly used a Blackberry Pearl, but the small screen, ridiculous “auto-spell,” software, and cost of the data plan sent me back to a basic phone for making calls and my iPod Touch for other duties. I truly do not understand Apple’s reasoning in refusing to allow external, portable keyboards to be used with the Touch or the iPhone. I have Skype on the Touch, but as I make very few phone calls, if I really need to talk to someone and I’m not home, I simply use the cellphone.I also own a MacBook Air which is almost portable enough to be convenient for note-taking. The PDA/folding keyboard combination was pretty much transparent while the laptop screen is, well, a screen and blocks interactions in meetings. I’ve converted my lecture notes to PowerPoint (no, not “text-only,” I’ve learned from watching TED Talks) and the Air handles everything else I require.Now, the iPad. There are an increasing number of portable, even foldable or rollable Bluetooth keyboards and very portable stands available that make this latest darling of techno-geeks appear to fit my “convenient, portable, and useful,” criteria. Why haven’t I rushed out to buy one?I have learned to let v.1.0 gear bugs get resolved by subsequent versions and price reductions, particularly when Apple is involved. What I have now works for my needs. Thus, I can’t justify the expense beyond rampant geekgrrl cravings for new tech.Becoming more practical and self-disciplined, I guess. But, there is an iPad in my future … unless my “Neuromancer,” dreams of directly jacking into the ‘Net via neural interface occur first.
rachaelski - July 23, 2010 at 4:07 pm
I am thrilled to hear the wonderful uses of an iTouch! What apps are the best? I recently got an iTouch and want to use it as my daily organizer. I had a first generation iPhone, but when we moved we had to switch carriers because of coverage issues for my husband’s work. We got blackberries, which I hate after having an iPhone. I want to go to a basic model phone and utilize the iTouch.
rooseveltk - July 23, 2010 at 4:40 pm
I have a 5-year-old Palm TX for my PDA and a cheap cell phone. The Palm has built-in wireless G, calendar, memo, etc. I have an external keyboard I can use when I want to take more than just a few notes. Even better, I can expand its storage with an SD card. Although I have both a regular laptop and a netbook, If I need to make a quick trip, this is what I take. If I have to wait for something, I have about 80 free ebooks ready for reading. I would say my Palm is a perfect device except that it does not have a removable battery – after 5 hours I have to find a plug.
scintern - July 25, 2010 at 7:53 pm
I have a new PDA. The iPad. While I have a work issued smartphone, I only use it as a phone. To do lists, notes, contacts, email, calendar are all on the iPad. Because I’m in a wifi environment almost all the time, there are no connection charges. I don’t miss my palm pilot anymore!
michaelnelson - July 26, 2010 at 2:14 pm
@rachaelski (and others asking about iPod Touch software).Here’s my list of what I find useful so far:1. OmniFocus for tasks (which I also use on my Mac)2. Bento as a database for information on students (also on Mac)3. Aji Annotate and Goodreader: One allows for annotating PDFs, the other has a “reflow”option which makes them easier to read4. Pocket Informant (I got used to it on Windows Mobile) for calendar… am looking forward to when they integrate with OmniFocus5. Reeder: Google Reader interface6. Mental Note: general notes (AwesomeNote, EverNote, and Note Taker are also worth checking out)7. Docs To Go (document reader and editor for Word, Excel, Powerpoint…)and then there are the games, the eReaders (Kindle, Borders, etc), the music players (Pandora), etc.