Palm Not for All, But Fans Sing Praises

* In last week’s e-review “Palm: Handy or Date with Disaster?” (March 16), reporter Abigail Goldman seems to be technologically challenged. Perhaps she should stick to simple devices like Etch-a-Sketch.

I have used a Palm for three years. It crashes much less often than my desktop computer. The Find function has never failed.

There are shareware applications that will satisfy the “deficiencies” that she quotes, and installing them is much less difficult than installing a new application on a desktop computer.

Best of all, I have been able to toss about three pounds of paper out of my life. Palms rule!

DAVE GROSS

Costa Mesa

*

I read Abigail Goldman’s rant about the Palm Pilot with some amusement. For one, I feel about Post-its the way she feels about the Palm Pilot--they drive me nuts! I think, however, what her article misses should be obvious.

Every new technology is not for everyone. As a technology instructor, I frequently am asked about new “stuff.” What I try and do is find out what the person is using now and if the new technology will be worth the cost--not just money but learning it as well.

Many of the problems with her Palm III did not require additional software (adding a phone number to a calendar item, for example). However, the additional software is what makes the Palm so useful. The device will work “as-is” for a lot of people, but the thousands of titles available (many of them are free--including several application launchers) mean that you can find exactly what you need.

The downside is the same, though. There are a lot of applications to wade through, and this does require some effort if you want to go beyond the standard applications on your Palm Pilot. Ms. Goldman may receive lots of angry e-mails about her article, but I think she makes a valid point: Don’t try to force something (whether that be technology or another slice of cheesecake) on someone who does not want it. For me, technology improves my life--if it doesn’t, I don’t get it. As for her hefty organizer--tell her husband that weight lifting is good for his health.

MICHAEL LAX

Technology instructor

CompUSA

Austin, Texas

*

I read your twin articles on the Palm Pilot with amusement, but also with a little disappointment. While both reporters wrote about their experiences and emotional response to your Palm devices, neither really talked about what the Palm and related devices have done for personal organization.

I have worked with first my Palm III, and now my Palm Vx devices for 15 months, and I can’t live without it now. My reasons are not related to games like Paul Zieke, and fortunately I have not been plagued with problems like Abigail Goldman. (She should call Palm’s technical support.)

For nine years, I lived by my paper-based Franklin Planner. I carried it wherever I went, and copied all my notes into it. Every day I had to copy my computer network calendar to the Franklin, and every month I’d create a manual index.

When I wanted to research something, I had to refer to several one-page indexes (one per month), and hope I could find the right page. I wanted the advantage of a computer-based personal information manager, but I’m out of the office too often, and don’t want to carry 10 pounds of laptop computer. When I finally moved to the Palm III, I was ecstatic to find the advantage of the computer and even more portability than my paper-based system.

The Palm offers me the combination of portability, computer search facilities, five years of searchable calendar, an updated address book free of cross-outs, my daily to-do list, my personal database of a variety of information and daily news reports.

KEVIN J. DONNELLY

Internal Services Department

County of Los Angeles