What Do You Use Your PDA For?

I'm thinking about getting one and wondering what kind of everyday things do you use your PDA for? What kind of limitations do they have with surfing the net and what should I not expect from them in comparison to a desktop PC, besides the obvious.

It has a gps so that's what I use it for, if you can get one with it it's a good investiment, helped me when driving and when walking, it is great.

I got mine for a multitude of reasons ....

First and foremost, I get lost on a fairly regular basis, though half the time it's just because I zone out and then lose track of what exit I just took. But I wanted a GPS/Pocket PC solution.

I'm also using it as a Personal Information Manager now. I'm not sure how many contacts I can load into this thing (I'm using the Pocket Informant 5.6.1 add-on ... little nicer than the built-in Mobile 2003 programs), but I've got over 1,000 contacts at work on my computer. With Microsoft Voice command, I can input them into my PPC, hold down my record button (which I've programmed to instead activate voice command), and say "Show Crane Pumps," and boom, all my information for Crane Pumps comes up on the screen. Might not seem like much, but it's a big time saver rather than trying to remember 1,000 numbers or pulling up that excel spreadsheet every time. =)

I also loaded SPB Weather (along with SPB Pocket Plus) for my today screen, which downloads weather forecasts while sync'd up to my computer, so when I grab it on my way out the door each morning, I've already got my weather.

Along with that, I use AvantGo ... it's free, and it basically downloads the latest news from various websites and services (Yahoo, Reuters, Wired News, etc ....) onto your PPC. So each day it syncs up, and I have my news with me on my way out the door, which I can read at my earliest conveinence. And each day, it automatically gets rid out of date news articles and updates with new releases. I think it's very cool.

I'm finding more and more uses each day. In fact, I'm contemplating buying ANOTHER pda or two, I've already found so many uses. I just need a CF II slot along with this SD slot for a couple of things at work, and my g/f really loves taking mine along with her to the office, so she may need her own. =)

I'm looking at getting a Dell X50 for some work applications (basic 416Mhz version, but it has a PXA270 processor, which is the same as the 624Mhz version, so it should be able to run 624Mhz or above using XCPUScalar), and maybe an iPaq H2215 for my girlfriend. It has dual expansion slots, and with Sprint PCS's CF2301 compact flash modem, I can connect to their 1xRTT network on a service plan and have wireless internet ANYWHERE ... not just in hotspots.

Oh, and I also used my PDA to reset my router after I bungled up both computers last night and couldn't access the router over my wireless network through them anymore.


EDIT: Oh, I forgot to add ... when my girlfriend ignores me, my iPaq never lets me down! lol. But then, "Be my best friend!" hasn't been incorporated into voice command yet, so it's still got some improvements that could be made. Seriously, I just re-read all those things. I've found more uses than I thought I would. The first day I had it I was thinking, "WOOHOO! FINALLLYYY! .... Now what ..." hehe.

i just mine, i am using it mostly for work (excel and word) and for carrying contacts, calendar and to-dos

hehe
iv got my NX60...
i use it to play games when im bored
watch wide screen movies in class when im bored!
record w/e the teacher lectures on when i feel like sleeping in class
i go online w/it sometimes
and when i buy a beefy CF drive soon, ill be using it as an mp3 player too!
o, and most important of all i use it as a universal remote, for when im home, @ a store , or bored in class

Interesting. Ah, GPS. Another technology I don't know anything about. Do you have to pay some type of subsription to use it?

Sounds like you get your moneys worth out of your PDA PerlAddict. I was thinking about that X30 PDA also. If you say it should OC to that 624 that would be sweet. I like that the X30 has bluetooth and wireless, but what I don't like atm is it doesn't have that many expansion slots. A lot of review knock the design, but I like simple designs. I understand it comes with a usb cradle. Does that mean PDA's can use USB devices? That's sweet you can sync up the weather. How much does that service with Sprint run?

There is a nice review and comparison of the Dell PDA's here.

I read it has the function to play mp3 only for about 5 hours so that is nice. Instead of buying an mp3 player it would make more sense for me to purchase a PDA. I'm not a heavy music listener, but it would be nice to listen to some music some times. Then I could play some roms too.

Does anyone know if they play N64 roms?

Also, would you be able to use any bluetooth accessory and can you use more than one at a time?

D94 does it record really well? That is an excellent idea. Do you record in mp3 format?

I doubt they would play n64 roms, but I have seen game boy emulators for pdas. And no you don't need to pay for gps as long as you get the maps you need with it, for example I got the North American maps but if I wanted european or any other areas it would cost me around $130 but this is for a garmin though.

I play games, browse the net using AvantGo, and of course organize myself, or at least try to organize myself, but unfortunately it usually doesn't work.

Just movies and MP3s. I'm really good at reading maps so GPS has never interested me. I also don't have enough of a calender to need to use a PDA as a scheduler. This is something I might need later though.

mostly MP3 playback and wardriving.

I have an Axim X30 High, so I can comment on some of the review issues...

First off, as for "bad design", it is something I hear a lot but I do not believe. The device isn't all that bad at all. The first thing you'll notice is that it is very slim and with the built in battery, the device is extremely light as well. You will fall in love with the jog dial in no time... well, at least I have. The stylus takes getting used to but that I also fell in love with. The "bad design" of putting a wireless antenna bubble on top of the device ensured that it has the best wifi range of any pocket pc devices (on average, I assume... I don't know what all pocket pc devices can do).

The SD card slot is limiting, but necessary considering how slim the device is. Overall, the design is well tested (being used in prior pocket pc devices) and as of this spring, my Axim was the 11th (!!) revision of hardware for this device. It is a well proven model and one that withstands a bit of abuse (from my observations). I wouldn't say it is a tough device however it certainly wasn't as fragile as my Toshiba e740!

It should be stated that the X30 series is depreciated and will reach its' end of life very soon. While the warantees and alike will continue, updates will not. The X50 line will recieve an update to the next version of the Windows Mobile operating system when it releases in the fall. So, on the order of "what is up to date", the X50 is more up to date. The X30 and X50 run the same software right now though, it is just that the X30 won't be recieving updates since it is an older device.

The X50 is a better recording device since it accepts microphones in the headphone jack. The X30 is limited to the onboard microphone which can be an issue.

As for music playback, both can however I like the X30 better due to the jog dial... once again, personal preference.

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Anyways, I use my device for reading the news every day while I'm walking from here to there with Avantgo (as previously mentioned). I also listen to music, even though music playback was never the primary function of this device. The Calendar keeps me up to date to what I need to do and the Tasks application keeps me up to date to what I should do but to which I always ignore anyways... With a few games to take up any slack time, that pretty much wraps up my whole day.

I could edit word documents, reply to email messages (and recieve them), IM folks over Wifi, jump on Wifi if I need important information fast, and view digital camera images if I wanted to, but those tasks are not used on a daily basis.

A generic "what can you do with a pocket pc" document can be found at the link below, which can give you other ideas.

http://www.aximsite.com/articles/link.php?id=22

MP3's and games. I've also been known to type papers on it while in class.