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Best PDA for College?
andyic3 asks: "College starts in a month. I've been searching for a very simple, tiny, modern PDA for storing due dates on. I've looked at the REX 6000, but it's too simple. I've looked at PocketPC's, but can't seem to find anything smaller than the old iPaq H1910. I've looked at Palm solutions, but can't find anything there. What's the best PDA for this application?"
Costs a buck at any store, doesn't take batteries, doesn't lose it's memory. I tried using a PDA for a while in college and I found I was always the last one out of the room because it always took so long to tap in my assignments. I found it worked a lot better to write them down in my notes for that class for that day then type them into a scheduling program on my PC back in the bat cave.
-73, de n1ywb
www.n1ywb.com
The best PDA? Pencil and paper. No easier or cheaper way to write a quick note down, or to tear off a corner and give your phone number to that hot babe.
Can't remember a week of appointments, or a few irregular but important dates... is your diary that busy? Need to remember submission dates.. write them on a calendar in your dorm/flat, are you really going to work on something randomly during the day?
Find out why your memory is lacking or diary overly busy - remembering things shouldn't be such a problem. If it is reflect why so.
"There is no cost to writing down on a PDA" - no, not at all. Most importantly, don't let technology disable your inate abilities. Carrying a PDA may feel (self) important but try a role where you actually need one. You'll realise human memory is all important:
With 5+ meetings per day and having to reflect/relay them ad-hoc I can testify that a good memory is all that matters - constantly active, not reflective on what a screen states - a PDA really doesn't matter other than as a backup. Groupworking diaries really don't work unless you're constantly sync'd with others, and is probably out of scope and Blackberry is the only option.
I've been searching for a very simple, tiny, modern PDA for storing due dates on. ... I've looked at Palm solutions, but can't find anything there.
Obviously you're looking for something more than you're telling us. Unfortunately, this is slashdot, not the academy of mind readers.
Could you be less specific?
Why don't you actually set out some of your requirements? Then you might actually get some useful answers.
GCHQ Quantum Insert installed. If only our tongues were made of glass, how much more careful we would be when we speak
For simple stuff like due dates, most mobile phones provide a simple calendar with alarms. The good thing too is that, unlike a PDA, it's unlikely that you will be without your phone.
Jesus, Zonk, it's time for a break. Your stories are SHIT!
The Hipster PDA
To add some tech to it, use GTDTiddlyWiki and print out the index cards.
There is also a D*I*Y Planner
Make backups with a photocopier, or just type them in again and reprint.
The best system I found during my time at school was a simple small note pad. I know it sounds dumb, but the best system was just a 'due date queue'. Anytime a professor said something was due, I'd write it down. Anytime I accomplished anything, it got crossed off the list. Every once in a while I'd re-write the list to clear out all the junk built up between long and short term projects (or also, just try two lists). It works very well since most stuff you need to do is short term anyway.
If you've got to go electronic, I'd use a Palm m100. They're cheap as hell, and mine will get a month or two on a single set of AAA batteries.
Sync it every once in a while.
--saint
Perhaps the most effective PDA on the market. It has long battery life. It is easy to access. Its means of data entry could reach the dozens of WPM. There are various add-on attachments that make this PDA one of the most reliable products on the market. And, the tech support of the company is outstanding.
c ing_the.html
http://merlin.blogs.com/43folders/2004/09/introdu
What those who want activist courts fear is rule by the people.
When my cousin was away at college, he melted somebody's PDA in a microwave. He was suspended.
So it's clearly a bad idea to have a PDA at college.
If you're like I was, it'll be all you can do to stop playing Quake before the sun comes up so you at least have a chance of making it to your third class without hallucinating little blue dots everywhere you look.
You don't want to have to keep track of a PDA.
perl -e 'foreach(values %SIG){$_="IGNORE";}while(){}'
How about accepting a better list of requirements from someone who has both been playing with PDAs since the Newton and already graduated from college? This is what I wish I had in 1995- and this is what we have available today from a variety of manufacturers:
A fold-up full sized keyboard for data entry that can fit in your pocket- preferably wireless (either IR or Bluetooth) so that it can be set up quickly.
A good note taking application of some sort- it should accept both typed text and pen drawings.
A good Todo List that links to the calendar in some fashion- to give you early warning of upcoming deadlines and allow you to prioritize assignments.
A reasonable-quality voice recorder- if possible one that you can record up to 90 minutes on and still run the results through a voice recognition program to get text notes out. No matter how fast you are at typing or handwriting you will always miss something in your notes- automatic note taking would be a big plus.
It should have a very large internal memory as well as interface to your desktop machine back at the dorm for backups- ideally every night before you sleep everything you need should both be on the PDA and your desktop machine- and best of all this should be automated.
Anybody else have any other requirments for this young person? Anybody know of a ready technology that fits this list? I've got my own favorite right now (PocketPC HP Ipaq 2210 with Bluetooth Keyboard and Hitachi 2GB CF-form-factor Hard Drive) but I'm pretty sure there's a cheaper linux solution out there as well that also fits the requirements- and there are certainly better PDAs when it comes to the hardware buttons.
SJW: a person who perceives an injustice, and while correcting it, commits a greater injustice.
I'm going to chime in here with the rest. A PDA isn't a college tool, it's a gee-whiz gadget for management types who have nothing better to do than spend company money. I was seduced by the Visor in college, I laid out the money, then proceeded to never use it for anything but the occasional game. Input is just too slow, and you can print one weekly schedule for the semester and never need to change it.
;)
Laptops are barely more useful. I have a tablet PC now and I imagine that it would have been somewhat useful in college, mostly because technical notes require writing many diagrams and formulas. If you don't have pen input, the best system I came up with was to type my text notes into program like Keynote or TreePad, and have a graph notebook next to the keyboard. When a formula or image needs to be drawn, you make a numbered reference in your text file and use that to link to your penciled drawings. If you have the motivation I guess you could scan in the day's notes and put everything together.
But seriously: to handle your schedule, a single sheet of paper is more than enough. Any important changes you can just write on your hand.
Scoff about the size, but I just got one for $99 w/ plan from Tiger Direct. I needed a Cell and a PDA, it's now what I use 24/7. Students should consider the GSM versions, getting it cracked is cheap and on those trips out of the country it's gonna save you big.
Sorry about the writing. Robot fingers, you know? Cliff Steele in DOOM PATROL #23
I used to have a pen and notepad and swore by it for a while. Then I upgraded to a Palm Zire 21.
It cost 46 GBP delivered (eBay) lasts weeks on a charge and is generally extremely useful.
I use it for my to-do list (*so* handy to have it sort itself!), university schedule, contact list, friends' tea preferences, birthdays (HappyDays), (slow, emergency) web-browsing via my mobile phone (using EudoraWeb), SSH (TuSSH), a London Underground map (MapMap Lite), a dictionary (Noah Lite - not great but very handy and only 2MB), a juggling simulator (JMPalm) and a scientific calculator among various other things. All of the software I use on it is free (much of it is open-source).
Keeping it synced (and charged) via USB with JMPalm on Linux (or whatever Windows software the thing comes with) means that, unlike a notepad, I can lose or damage it and not mourn the loss of the data (and be only slightly annoyed at the loss of "only" 50 quid's worth of kit).
Get yourself a nice, cheap, robust PDA like the Zire 21 that does what you want it to without killing its battery in 5 minutes.
You won't look back.
I went 20 years before I got a PDA to track my appointments. I finally got a PDA for a "killer" ap. The blood meter module that could be attached. The schedule tracking is a nice to have, because it syncs with my laptop (which sits beside me on the desk here, and has a full size keyboard).
Pencil and paper. Because you can never depend on the hot babe to have a PDA that you can beam your name and address to.
What's the best PDA for this application?
What "application?" Recording due dates? Can't you just write them down? Maybe put them into a calendaring app on your computer in your dorm? High technology is not the solution to every problem.
rooooar
Trapper Keeper, ready to ensorb. [cables reach out and grab Cartman monitor like a giant hand, and pull it towards the Trapper Keeper]
Sorry about the writing. Robot fingers, you know? Cliff Steele in DOOM PATROL #23
If you got one I would also reccomend a collapsible keyboard (also on ebay for a few bucks) that made it great for taking notes.
The VGA screen is great for watching videos, playing games, etc. It's got wireless, so you can even stream video on it. Supports CF and SD cards for lots of video/music storage. Does Bluetooth so you can get some wireless headphones.
Oh wait, you wanted this as a study aid?
Especially if you're doing any of the sciences where you need to write down mathematics and diagrams in a hurry during a lecture.
For everyone who's suggesting that this guy stick w/ a pad & pen, will a pad & pen beep 10 minutes before the submitter's next class?
[o]_O
I've got friends who swear by those pads they use in diners to take your order. Alternatively, I think this guy can point you in the right direction.
The best PDA for college is one which sucks for games, has a slow CPU, has no wireless capability, and can't play audio or video content. Something like a base-model Palm comes to mind.
It does what you need without tempting you to waste time with things unrelated to your school work. You can keep to-do lists on it, a calendar for class schedules, assignment due-dates, exam schedules, and college functions. You can use it to track school-related expenses. You can keep a contact list on it. You can get calculators, unit converters, spreadsheets, and other math-related apps for it.
There's a reason why the medical profession -- busy professionals -- standardized on PalmOS: It does what a PDA should without trying to be a notebook computer, video game system, and multimedia content player. It's small, rugged, lightweight, and inexpensive.
I use my T-Mobile Sidekick II to keep due dates. And not only is it a pretty good cell phone, but for 20 extra bucks a month you get unlimited data services. This means AOL IM, web, email, and SMS. It saves me trouble on a few fronts; I only have to carry one device, and I get about 90% of the functionality I could ever need out of a computer from it too. You can even get a telnet/ssh client for it!
I'm not sure exactly what you're looking for, but storing due dates is the most basic function that any hendheld device can perform. Even my cell phone does a pretty good job with that.
Are you looking for some specific function beyond basic scheduling?
I know that this does not answer your question, but I've used PDA's for similar functions and found that I was much more efficient with a scheduling book. YMMV.
-Turkey
If you only need to store due dates, and have an alarm alert you a day before a paper is due etc., I don't see why a plain old Palm wouldn't work. Even a cheapie cell phone would work. I don't carry a PDA nowadays. I just store all my appointments on my cell phone, which I keep in my pocket.
My cell also has audio recording... so if I need to quickly store an idea or record a snippet, I just record it into the phone's buffer and transcribe it later. Many brilliant spur-of-the-moment ideas were saved this way.
I used to carry a Palm, but it was just too inconvenient to whip out during the winter (have to unzip my winter jacket, wait for the screen to warm up etc.) And any Palm is too big to stuff in my trouser pocket.
If you want a PDA to take notes... ah... now that's different. Nothing beats pen and paper for resolution, speed, and freedom of positioning. No tablet or PDA can beat the resolution of crisp handwritten text. Really.
If you have a good system for note taking, e.g. the Cornell note taking system, you don't need to resort to any digital means for taking notes.
If your handwriting is bad, improve it.
This is a question you should ask yourself.
Most people don't need a PDA. There have been extremely few times in life where I've been presented with a situation where a PDA would have solved a problem.
What kind of grammars are you looking to parse? Are you sure a DFA wouldn't do just as well? They're a lot cheaper you know, not to mention a lot easier to manage. Sure, your language set is limited, but then, do you REALLY need to understand all context free languages?
-Laxitive
Unless you're with a CDMA provider or can't live without a stylus, hi-res screen, 802.11b/g (at least until the N91 is out) and qwerty keyboard, Symbian smartphones are great.
http://www.series60.com/products
Seriously, I know you want one, but PDAs are the single most unnecessary and most overrated piece of crap ever foisted upon the geek. Just wait till it locks up solid while you're on travel and you need to perform a hard reset, thereby losing all your data. Ahh the memories...
That little thing was a HUGE help. My schedule was very fragmented, and I'm slow to memorize schedules, especially when they're layered and alternating. Needless to say, I used my palm every day. Most days it would be the first thing I looked at when I got up in the morning (usually just to judge how much time I needed to get ready). I also looked at it between classes; it helped me figure out where to go and when I needed to be there.
That was the most important function to me. I also ended up making extensive use of the phone book and memo functions. The task list helped remind me of important assignments, but I didn't catalog all due dates on the thing.
I know palms are not the hottest things anymore, but let's face it; you especially don't want an entertainment machine. As other posters have stressed, you don't want wi-fi, games, videos, or other really cool programs. You want something to help you work. In my opinion, the palm does this well with good, solid core applications. I also use a GPL program on the side to calculate my gas mileage on my car (sourceforge does wonders).
A good thing to do is find an older palm. The basic functionality of palmOS hasn't changed much at all, and you'll get a great price on a small handheld if you go used/discontinued/refurbished/whatever.
Also, other posters mention the effectiveness of paper and pencil. Beware. I'm the type that's rather loose with papers. Things in writing can be difficult to keep structured and organized if you're me, and papers get lost all the time, not to mention that they are a hassle to carry. A PDA like my palm makes all my data microscopic, automatically organized, and easily sortable and searchable. I find this more convenient and portable than a pencil and paper solution. That's just me.
Find a system that works best for you, but I do definitely recommend a cheap palm. If you do in fact prefer Windows pocket edition for whatever reason (can you say nethack?), an older generation pocketpc is also a handy thing.
If you are interesting in a palm, the M500 can be found on ebay for around $30USD. It's a great little piece of hardware, and can do everything that you need. It has 8MB of built-in memory, and you can expand that with a SD card, but I've never found a need for that as most palm apps are tiny. It's a greyscale device, but that nets you longer battery life, and frankly it is easier to read off of for long periods, aka reading ebooks. If you are considering the palm, you'll of course want some distractions *games* and I suggest SFCave and Traffic as both are simple yet fun games that are quick to learn and play.
David Novosel "Two roads diverged, and I - I took the one less travelled by."
If your experience is to be anything like mine was....Budweiser
I'm loving my Tungsten C which I picked up used on eBay last year. I turned off the handwriting recognition long ago and use the keyboard for everything. It didn't take long for me to become proficient at typing fast with my thumbs. The built-in wifi is nice too.
Find out why your memory is lacking or diary overly busy - remembering things shouldn't be such a problem. If it is reflect why so.
Your mind is a terrible place to clutter up with stuff that needs doing. It's why you so often have that vague unease that you're forgetting something important. You probably are. However otherwise brilliant your mind is, it is probably lousy at general organizing and task management (remembering to buy new flashlight batteries when you are already at the grocery store rather than when you grab the flashlight to check on the strange noise at night).
The trick is to find a organizing method that works for you - something that I had not done very well till recently.
My sister got my attention by mentioning that, by her estimates, reading a book called "Getting Things Done" and implementing many of its ideas had increased her consulting income by $20,000/year. I am rather leary of the managementOrganizationMethodDuJour but I read the book anyway.
I found the book very valuable and especially appreciated the fact that, unlike so many methods that are closely tied to a particular vendor's books or software, this book says it's about understanding some basic principles. If you like Outlook, use Outlook. Palm? Great. Pencil and paper? They work fine, too.
I can't duplicate the whole book here but the most valuable change I've made - and one which changed my Palm from the infrequently-used paperweight it had become into an indispensible tool - was to eliminate the concept of the todo list and implement the concept of the project and the next-action.
The typical Palm user tries to use the thing by agonizing over due-dates and priorities and categorizing items as "work" or "personal", etc. Instead, use the todo feature as a "project" list where a project is defined as "anything you want to get done that will take more than one step".
You will find that almost everything is a project and if you spend a few seconds thinking about the project you can identify the single next-action that will move that project toward completion. The "notes" feature in the todo list works very well for this.
As an example, say your car windshield is cracked then "fix car windshield" is the project. A few moments of thinking takes you from "I need to find a windshield shop" to "Bob at the tennis-club mentioned he liked the place that fixed his" to "I'll call Bob" to "but I don't have his number" to "it's probably in the club roster". OK, the single next action that will move this project forward is to find Bob's number and the place that it can be done is at home when you have the club roster handy.
This leads to the other important change I made after reading the book. My projects are now organized by "context" - basically, where can I accomplish the next-action. The categories that work for me include "at home", "at computer", "at phone", "with wife", etc. For the example above, the project would start in the "at home" category. After I look up the number and scribble it in the note for that project I would move it to the "at phone" category and so on. A project at the "select paint color" stage might be in the "with wife" category. Whenever I need to go to a store I glance at the "errands" category and see what might be combined into the same trip. While the "priority" feature in most listing programs seems like a good idea it matters little if the absolute most-important item is to send an email and you are nowhere near a computer. But if you are waiting for your flight to leave you may be able to pull out your cellphone and use the time to move items in the "at phone" category forward.
One useful category is the "waiting for" category - the rebate that will be coming in 6-8 weeks, the shop that told you that they will get a quote to you by Friday. When your project is on hold for some external reason you move it to "waiting for" and put a due-date in it. If you hav
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"You are not remembered for doing what is expected of you." - Atul Chitnis
I use a blackberry for college, and it works great. 7230 is $100 on ebay.
"Martha Stewart can lick my Scrotum......do i have a scrotum?" -- Sharon Osbourne
I am just starting College as well. I used a palm all through high school. I highly recommend a palm over a PPC. I used mine for Assignments (with Four.Zero [commercial] laer to change to DueYesterday [free and better]), Calender (built in) and Games during boring study halls. For just the bare essencials, something like a palm 3xe would be sufficient [My second one]. I later upgraded to a Tungsten T and loved the extra storage space, color screen, rechargable battery and Storage Cards. I could do things like play newer games, edit Office docs, and listen to music. I just upgraded to a Tungsten C with Wifi and even more storage space for college. Even before I get on campus, the features, processing power, and upgraded OS was well worth the purchace. All of the palmtops I mentioned I bought off of ebay for around $100-$150 each, The 3xe and Tungsten T are probably much cheaper now.
In my experience with these, I offer a few suggestions.
1) A palm with a good stow-away keyboard is great for taking notes, and writing while away from your computer. And it is smaller than a laptop.
2) Learn Graffiti enough to write small enteries fast as well as have a decent shorthand. By doing this you can take down notes and assignments as fast as you could write them on paper.
3) Avantgo is a great [free] service that allows you to download webpages to you palm and is useful if you want to have the news or weather (or whatever) to read during freetime (or a boring lecture)
4) Sync EVERY DAY I can not state this enough
5) Carry extra bateries. Or if you have a rechargable device, charge it every day.
6) Get a hard case especially if you keep it in a backpack...I learned this one the hard way, I placed my backpack on the desk (with my palm 3xe inside) it fell off the desk and the screen got smashed
7) Writerights (plastic screen protection overlays) are a good investment...you only get like 6 for $20 but you can leave one on for like 6 months (regardless of the one month recomendation) and they do keep the screen scratch-free
Slow Down Cowboy! It's been 1 hour, 47 minutes since you last successfully posted a comment
Forget it. It could get stolen, broken, dunked in beer, whatever. Your school probably gives out free planners for each academic year. Get one of those and use a pen!
terpmotors.com
palmos runs alot of processes that you can buy to do whatever you need the unit to do for you... or i read somewhere about linux enabled pdas, dont remember where, tho- some distros can stay in your keychain...
Yeah, me too !
I will always lose the bit of paper I want (or entire notepad) but be able to find something from 3/6/9 months ago which is no longer needed
My PDA when I once needed one was a Psion Siena
which was about the smallest model they did but all I needed was a calendar and the spreadsheet came in handy once or twice price(1998ish) 70GBP, it has 1MB RAM ran on two AAA cells for about a MONTH
Mobile nearly does it all now, spreadsheet would be nice oh and clamshell case.
Hey, dunno what the heck you're looking for, but my palm m505 has served me well for the past year in college, and will forseeably for the next 3.
Has everything I need: morning waking up alarm, "appointments" which are my classes with 5 minute reminders, since I don't carry a watch, address book, memo pads, notepad functionality (still missing the printer to hand your number to a hottie, but I bet the next version will have it), and for deadlines, well, just make them as appointments with a week or 2 worth of reminders.
Not only that, but the palm's interface is well thought out, even though people are reluctant to learn grafiti to use it efficiently.
Seriously, either a palm will fill your needs with a tad of creativity on your side, or you're going to have to lug your laptop around to use your favorite calendar app everywhere.
This is from a CS major too, and there's no cheaper and easier way than to adapt your habits to a PDA's capabilities than the other way around.
---- I am certain of only one thing : I know nothing else.
I have gone off-and-on from using index cards as a PDA, from before it was called a Hipster & then after just to be trendy.
It is fantastic--less distracting than an electronic PDA, no batteries to worry about, readable in BRIGHT daylight, faster data entry, and easier sharing.
But, I find the cards get too banged up. There was some guy who wrapped his in sale cloth & that is a pretty good idea....but then you also lose the shuffability of the system & might as well get a notebook. There are also so-called "pocket briefcases" to store cards, but it makes access slower.
I also think printing (and CUTTING) special sheets for this is a giant waste of time. And it isn't always easy to find cheap gridded 3x5" (which I prefer)
I now use Rhodia pads & they're great. Some protection for the pages on the covers. None of the expensive trendiness of the moleskines & they actually have better paper that is also easier to tear out cleanly. I don't have the pleasant ability of only having the cards I want & being able to shuffle them, but otherwise the notebooks are great.
They love throwing crap in there as a value add to buying their books. One time, I got a PDA similar to what you're asking about COMPLETELY FREE (with my paid subscription).
Don't think that a small group of dedicated individuals can't change the world. It's the only thing that ever has.
Up Hill both ways. In Flipflops with the family donkey strapped to my back. (Tverbeek, sorry I could not help myself, but I do like your graphicnovels.info site. )
Sorry about the writing. Robot fingers, you know? Cliff Steele in DOOM PATROL #23
Like many other post grads I found the note pad approach the best for remembering to do those tasks during the day and a desk calendar for those long term projects. Another tip, hold onto your syllabi. Most everything is right there from day one if your prof takes the time write a decent one. PDAs aren't for everyone. I was given an old one my last semester of college and while it was handy for the calendar function I was using it more for e-books to kill time between classes without carrying a ton of books around. For some classes project Gutenberg saved me some money using this method. I eventually got a new Clie and gave my old Palm to someone else to try. They in turn used it to hold post it notes they wrote instead of entering the same data into the palm. I took it back after I found it covered in about five sticky notes. My advice, find an old, cheep PDA on eBay and try it out before you commit to an expensive toy.
(This sig intentionally left blank.)
Obviously that is the wrong link. Try here.
There is a PalmOS watch avaliable on the market. It's, if not the smallest Palm on the market (might be), the one that's easiest to keep with you.
FWIW, though, I say bite the bullet and get a real Palm.
The parent makes a good point: if you want to do a lot of free-form writing on the cheap, your best bet is to cover your desk area in butcher paper. Get a stick from the campus green and light it on fire, until it burns down to a charcoal tip. Profit.
--- php: perl hates people
My advice - get a cheap used or after market model from a couple years ago. Carry it around for a few months and see if you use it and how much damage it receives.
You may find that you use it constantly. Certainly true if your memory for names and numbers is anything like mine. If so, then you'll be in a position to make an informed choice when you buy the newest model in a few months. Informed, in this case, means that you'll know what features you'll actually use on a pda.
Or, you may find that you never touch the thing. Then you'll have saved hundreds of dollars that you can spend on something you really will use.
Or, you may find that you're the kind of person who destroys or loses several of pda's every year, in which case a constant supply of old cheap ones may be the ideal solution.
You can find used palm-IIIc's for $25, aftermarket new ones for a little more. Or, if any friends of family are pda users, they may will just hand you their old model if you ask them for it. (I've gone through two models this way myself, and passed each along to other people when upgrade time came.)
The only caveat is that the newer high(er) resolution screens are a lot nicer for reading lots of text. If you plan to view books on the thing, then the older models just won't cut it. (But unless you work in a cleanroom or you like to read in bed and you share a bedroom with someone who goes to sleep earlier than you, you may well find reading books on a pda isn't something you ever want to do.)
Trade the PDA dream for a pencil and paper. Pencil, Paper + a girl is so much better than just the PDA.
No, you can't have both.
I found that for a lot of my consulting work keeping notes on plain old paper suits me best, however I make a lot of diagrams, notes and sketches. The beauty of it is you have a backup paper hard copy and another version which you can import into my computer where I get to add them to various items.
There are two versions of this gizmo the 501 and 692. Major difference between DigiMemo 692 & A501
It's an interesting solution that just might suit how you run things. The only trouble is it's not pocket size.
The manufactuers site is http://www.acecad.com.tw/digimemo/dm-a501.htm
I'm entering my 4th year of college(EEE student). I'm very happy with my PDA, of which I've used for the last 3 years.
PDA
And don't forget, most PDAs come with crappy stylii. I would go ahead and upgrade to a better stylus while you buy the PDA.one of my favorates
Pick up a cheap M100/Zire/TungstenE, whatever suits your fancy, then load it with DueYesterday from http://sourceforge.net/projects/nosleepsoftware/ It'll track classes, homework, papers, grades, etc for you. If you're going to take notes during class, pick up a folding keyboard for it.
Very visual, fits easily in backpack, can be sat on, does not crash or fail or consume batteries, is large enough to see all of October and excatly why the third week in October is going to suck. They also have a page for writing in your default weekly schedule. The very best part is that data entry is very fast and an utter breeze---no fake keyboard, no stylus, no strange Graffiti font to struggle with writing accurately enough for the PDA to tell a 'Y' from a 'T' from a 'U'. You just write.
These planners cost about $15/year.
Overteching is often the sign of a freshman. Every year I see eager, well-scrubbed kids and trying to take class notes on their laptop. This usually lasts a week or two. If you see a junior or senior using a laptop in class, he's either finishing up a paper or playing games.
This is not my sandwich.
If you don't need any extra bells and whistles a Palm Zire 31 is a GREAT PDA.
I've had many PDAs starting from the Compaq Aero 1500, a few iPAQs, etc and I love the Zire 31 above all others.
What it doesn't have:
Bluetooth
Wifi
CF slot
What it does have:
SD Slot
Color screen - but you can't read it in direct sunlight
PalmOS 5
VERY Small size
Good battery life
MP3 player - sound pretty good!
IR port - was great getting numbers off my cell phone
16MB Ram
I use my 31 for ebooks, quick notes, tech manuals (PDF is great!), listening to www.twit.tv, and of course scheduling.
This is the smallest, easiest to use PDA I've ever owned. It just works (TM). It doesn't have too much power that I try to make it do things a PDA isn't that good for (Web, etc), I just use it as a PDA.
-Daniel
KD5UZZ
www.w5yj.org
1)Read the book Getting Things Done" by David Allen
2)Construct yourself a "Hipster" PDA
3)Buy a paper calendar
No PDA or software can beat GTD and a hipster.
Simple people talk of people, better people talk of events, great people talk of ideas.
Stop laughing.
If you really do want a PDA that can handle reminders *and* take decent notes, then the only real option is the Apple Messagepad 2100. You can pick them up on eBay for a pretty low price.
Why the Newton?
First, the user interface is designed around getting things done. Simple notepad-like gestures (ie: scribble over something to erase it) means that you don't have to deal with navigating menu systems to find things.
Secondly, the screen is large enough to actually take notes on if you really want to. Try jotting handwritten notes on a Palm or Pocket PC and you'll quickly find that you can only squeeze a couple words per line.
Of course, on a Palm or Pocket PC you could always learn Graffiti (or the PPC equivl.) and enter your notes as text. This works great if you're taking a Humanities course, where you deal only with words. If you're in the Sciences or Engineering, you'll quickly find that trying to scribble down formulas and diagrams a pain in the butt.
The Newton has some great calendaring functionality built around the "Intelligent Assistant" - you can scribble a quick "physics class at 5 on friday", tap the IA button, and the Newton will setup an appointment for you complete with reminder.
I'd still recommend the paper & pen approach for most of your organizational needs. But if you seriously do need an electronic device to remind you, the Newton is the way to go.
Lots of free software out there for it, and a good user community that is willing to help out newbies. The hardware itself is solid & sturdy and can withstand abuse. Finally, there are ongoing projects to offer sync support with today's operating systems, including OS X.
I bought a Newton while studying Physics back in the mid-90's and found it very useful. I ended up going back to school a few years ago, and tried a Palm and PocketPC - neither worked will in the student environment. Picked up a used Newton and I'm happy again.
a 12' powerbook is basicly the size of a pda. if not that i'd go for the treo.
PDAs are totally useless, they're bulky enough to mean you don't always take them with you, they look conspicuous and getting them out to use is a hassle. You treat them too carefully, they're not robust, you look like a dick using them and they're expensive. Get a good smart phone (symbian?) instead, you can even get one with a big screen if you really want but the fact that its a phone also means you will never forget to take it with you and it has more than one function. Also ive never seen a PDA with a vibrate alarm. Get a good phone you'll treat it less carefully so you'll be more likely to use it. Lets face it, handwriting recognition isn't that much better than typing on a number pad.
This comment does not represent the views or opinions of the user.
Every year at my college (UNLV), they give out free weekly planners to the "new" students. The thing is that they really don't care and in the past few years they've quickly become the gold standard for keeping track of things.
Plus, you're a college student. Go spend that money that you would have spent on a PDA on something more useful for college students, like a keg cooler or maybe a semester's worth of books (if you feel like it).
get a psion revo from ebay, very cheap and the plus model has: a keyboard! small enough to be small, big enough to type on. handy on the train/bus/bench and no messing with character recognition nicely laid out calendar with appointments and alarms word processor which auto converts to/from ms word docs on the pc spreadsheet that does the same with excel but the best part is: black and white screen no backlight (= good battery life) no bluetooth no wifi no camera not a phone i've had mine for about three months and have taken to writing a short scifi novel on the train to/from work. it fits perfectly alongside my cup of tea on the little seat-back-shelfs
If you don't risk failure you don't risk success.
Use Ipod + ipod linux and record the assignments.
Thejesh GN
Totally agree. Sure, it's huge, monochrome, and obsolete, but the thing is great. I have a Tungsten T3, and I find myself using the Newton more than the Palm. The functionality from that time is amazing. The lastest Palm devices just came out with landscape mode. Newtons had them a decade ago. All the apps work just as well as on a Palm. I even like the 'graffiti' better. And, they even accpet PCMCIA cards...if you can find or write a driver, you could potentially even get it to run wifi. UnixSurplus.com carries them, as well as the cabling to sync [and a spare stylus].
If it's Windows Mobile you'll be lucky if it beeps at all, they're really unreliable when it comes to waking up from standby.
http://www.mtekk.com.au/browse/page826.html
"A known problem with WM2003 is that the first alarm of the day can be rather unreliable. Users regularly report that the first alarm of the day doesn't always trigger until the device is turned on by the user, whereupon all outstanding alarms then trigger immediately."
PDA's sync. Paper doesn't.
Useless for notes in engineering though - to hard to draw nice diagrams on anything I've ever seen electronic (equations too).
..don't panic
Hi, I am also a college student and I think the Dell Axim x30 has the best value for money. It has wireless, bluetooth, IR, and is cheaper than the iPaqs. Plus, it is pretty slim and light . However, it might be overkill if the only thing you want it for is to keep track of due dates.
I have nextel phone srvice, and use the blackberry 7520 for my phone/2 way/pda needs. pros: *email access, phone access, and pda functions in one-you aren't carrying 2-3 devices for it *long battery life (I charge mine up every other night, and never have issues) *great typing interface- I hate stylus input on most pdas, thumb typing is quick and easy to pick up *Bluetooth- so I can use my wireless headset when on the road *not much bigger than a phone, and great speakerphone *good holster that locks when you put in on your belt, so no ghost calls *syncs easily with most software, tons of 3rd party apps out there cons: *not as comfortable up to your ear as a phone (I usually use either speakerphone or bluetooth headset to combat this) *most 3rd party software you have to buy (there are some good shareware/freeware programs out there) Great device for me, a full time outside sales rep and part time student- I can keep all my email, phone book, notes, etc. on one device, and can send them to anyone with email or a phone.
I try not to laugh in death's face. I tend to make belittling comments and snicker behind death's back.