Palm is not a hassle

["Derek R. Pizzagoni" <drp@xxxxxxxx>]

Dear Mr. Briody,

I recently read your online article titled 'Tool or toy: Are PalmPilots
little more than eye candy?', and I am responding to your request for
testimonials from Palm users.

I manage the MIS department of a small (50 employees) company.  I have a
PalmPilot that I use daily.  To respond to your main question, 'Do I
really need it?', I would have to respond 'no'.  I am sure that I could
make it through the day without it, and be effective in all of my
tasks.  To clarify this answer, let me tell you that I have been in this
field for about 14 years, the first 12 without a PalmPilot.  In the last
2 years, I have found that the PalmPilot makes many tasks easier and
more efficient.  Here are some examples:

- When in meetings, I can schedule appointments on the Pilot, and have
them automatically sync (via PilotManager) with my desktop upon return
to my office.  No retyping or rewriting anything.  My Linux desktop
calendar is set up to send an alpha page warning to my cellular
telephone, if I would like a reminder or warning when I have an
approaching appointment.  Or, I can have my Pilot warn me directly.  I
also have access to years worth of dates.  If I was to rely on a
daytimer, I would have to check the calendar, to see if I was busy.  If
I found an appropriate time for the appointment, I would write it down.
I would not have any reminder, and I would most-likely only have access
to 1 or 2 months worth of dates.  If I wanted to schedule an appointment
3 months in advance, I'd have to write it down, and then remember to
transfer it later to a future calendar.

- If I want to read an article that I find online, but I don't quite
have the time right away, I can easily cut-and-paste it into a memo, and
sync it up with my Pilot.  I can then read the article while using
public transportation, while relaxing at home, or while enjoying my
lunch in a park.  If I didn't have a Pilot, I'd have to print out this
article, and waste paper.

- Being an I.T. Manager, I have quite a busy schedule, and have many
to-do items (some short-term, some long-term).  I can enter them into
the Pilot or the desktop and sync, I can sort, I can re-prioritize, and
I can add large project notes.  If I was using a daytimer, I would have
to write all of them down, and check them off as I complete them.  If I
want to re-prioritize and sort, I have to completely rewrite the list.
If I want to put in project notes, I have to write them down, and if I
ever have to rewrite the list, I also have to rewrite (or re-reference)
the project notes.

- I have many business associates, vendors, and friends.  I have all of
them in my Pilot address book.  I keep track of names, addresses,
telephone numbers (voice, fax, pager, cell, etc), e-mail addresses, and
notes.  I can sync these up with my desktop, and have quick access at
work or home, when wanting to send a fax, an e-mail, etc.  I don't have
to remember telephone numbers or e-mail addresses.  If I had a daytimer,
I'd have access to this information, but it would not be as quickly
accessible, and I'd have to re-type it in each time I wanted to use it.

As far as whether it is trouble for IT departments...  I have never had
a single request for anything pertaining to the use of a Pilot on our
systems or our network (outside of asking for permission to load the
desktop software onto the PC).  I have had no problems with those PCs,
and it has not hindered network access in the least.

Now, to be complete, your article states 'Are they accomplishing
anything with it that they wouldn't with a notebook computer and
daytimer?'.  Above, I compared the Pilot to a daytimer.  I did not
compare it to a notebook computer.  Sure, most notebook computers can do
more than a Pilot, but I can not fit a notebook computer in my pocket,
and I only paid $200 for my Pilot (try to buy a new notebook computer
for that).

In conclusion, could I get by without my Pilot?  Yes.  Do I want to work
harder (and not smarter)?  No.

Thank you for your time.

--
Derek R. Pizzagoni
Information Technology Manager
Aval Communications, Inc.
URL: http://www.aval.com

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