Palm Pilot, that is. For years, I’ve had a Palm Vx [see it], a PDA renown for its ruggedness and reliability. I literally would toss the Vx around the house, stuff it in my back pocket, etc. I even sat on it a few times, but it soldiered on with nary a complaint.
The battery life in the Vx has been declining over the past few months, but I’ve been reluctant to let it go. It’s like throwing away a friend, stupid as that sounds. Funny how we get attached to every little inanimate object, isn’t it?
But the other day I bit the bullet and sprang for a new Sony Clie PEG-TJ27. Moore’s Law proves true once again, as the Clie was procured for only $199 while the old Vx cost nearly $500.
The Clie is quite a bit more advanced that the monochrome Vx. A color screen, for one thing. It’s got a faster processor, four times the memory, and it even has a built-in camera. I’ve already started taking pictures. Here’s one from a recent Carmina Burana music rehearsal at Opera Pacific:
The quality is ok. It’s nothing you’d want to use for serious photography, but for little candid snapshots it’s great.
There are a few things I don’t like about the Clie, chief among them is the lack of a Hotsync/charging cradle. With the Vx, it was always on the corner of my desk, charging yet out of the way. The Clie has a pair of messy cables and a flimsy adapter. I considered exchanging the Clie for a Palm unit with a cradle, but the ones in my price range like the Tungsten E don’t come with one either. Foiled!!
So far I’m happy with the Clie, but we’ll see how it holds up to the abuse of day-to-day life at the House of Rapp. Now smile! You’re on Candid Camera…
There you go speaking in a foreign tongue again. i just can’t believe how dumb i am when it comes to all of the new technology. maybe if i’m exposed enough, some it will rub off.