Associate Writer: TjL

I’m thrilled to be posting my first submission as an Associate Writer. My name is TjL, and I am a local pastor in south eastern Ohio. I may be a new AW, but you’ve already heard part of how I use my Palm (namely Treo 650) which Sammy posted last week under the title: How my Treo 650 spent its vacation (hint: it didn't get a vacation, I did!).

A little bit about my Palm background. My first Palm was a IIIxe, which I bought in 2000 I believe. It was well used and well loved. Sure I winced a little when the color models came out, but my Mono Palm and I were just fine. I loved having both my calendar and addressbook in one tiny little package. I really don’t remember using it for much else.

Then, about 2 years ago (spring 2003), I was flying back from Atlanta and realized that my cell phone (one of those tiny little Nokia things) was missing from my backpack holder! I called the airport but no one reported finding it. I called my cell phone provider who said that it hadn’t been used, so it was simply lost, not stolen. I looked around and found the Treo 300. Being able to have my Palm and cell phone in one package seemed every bit as revolutionary as having my calendar and datebook in the Palm had been several years earlier! So I decided to replace my Palm IIIxe as well (it actually went to live with a nice woman who was

I loved the clamshell design, as I most often carry my phone/Palm in my pocket more than in a case. But it was built like a brick, and on at least one occasion I remember someone seeing my phone and thinking it was old and clunky.

I also loved the fact that it had a keyboard built-in. Call me a heretic, but I never liked Graffiti. Or maybe it was just that I was never good at Graffiti. My regular handwriting isn’t that good in the first place, and I think I just never got the “write big looping characters” down enough for anything more than the briefest of notes.

The Treo 300 lasted all of 6 months before I wore it out. The clamshell design might have done a good job protecting the screen, but the hinge also wore out quickly. I drove down to the nearest Sprint store (an hour away!) and tried to get a replacement, but they didn’t have any now that the new Treo 600 had been released. Long story short, several hours later after being on the phone with Sprint support (who wanted me to wait 2-3 days and then drive back to the store to get a replacement Treo 300, an option I didn’t find acceptable), they had agreed to let me pay the difference between what I had paid for my 300 and what the 600 was selling for. This made me the hero of some and the bitter enemy of a few who had paid much more.

I suppose they’d be even more upset to learn that after my Treo 600 broke in January of this year, I tried again unsuccessfully to get it replaced (I have Sprint’s equipment replacement program) and suffered through several difficulties with Sprint’s support, including waiting for a week for a replacement Treo 600 which never came. I called back again and spent another hour+ (mostly on hold) and finally got someone who figured out what the problem was and promised my new phone would be there in two days.

When it arrived, it was not the 600 I had expected, it was the 650, albeit the version without a camera. Whoot! WHOOT! Someone knew how to turn a very unhappy customer into a thrilled customer!

Each step has been a huge leap forward: from IIIxe to Treo 300 was a huge leap, the 300 to 600 was a huge leap, and the 600 to 650, with the better screen and Bluetooth has also been a great advance. Where I live WiFi is not nearly as prevalent as Sprint’s PCS coverage, so the lack of WiFi is not a huge issue. In fact right now I’m sitting outside with my wife (reading the paper) and son (loading his toy dump truck with rocks) using my Treo 650 as a modem for my 15" Powerbook.

The 300/600/650 has definitely left a long-term impression on my life, much for the better. It has saved me time and let me be productive during unexpected downtime which would otherwise have been wasted.

I’ve become an avid PA reader and hope that my contributions will be worth your time as well.