T|X To The Rescue

[From James Smead] I have recently experienced two tragedies in my life, both less than one month before Thanksgiving. First, my dog died on November 2nd. He was a cherished member of my family for 11 years. During those years, he brought a tremendous amount of joy and comfort to my wife and I. He will be dearly missed.

The second tragedy occurred during the overnight hours of November 7th, five days after my dog died. A fire swept through my apartment in Orlando, Florida and destroyed everything in its path. My wife and I lost everything we owned: clothing and shoes, furniture, electronics, computer equipment (including a desktop, a new laptop, a scanner, a laser printer, and wireless router), and various photographs and momentos from 12 years of marriage. We did not have insurance.

I had gone to bed early that night because I had to work the next day. My wife had decided to stay up and watch television. At around 1:00 in the morning, my wife woke me up saying there was a fire right outside of our apartment. I jumped out of bed, grabbed the small messenger bag I kept next to the bed, and my wife and I left the apartment. We were out the front door and down the stairs in less than two minutes. Once we were safe outside, we called 9-1-1 and waited. By the time the fire department arrived, the apartment was fully engulfed in flames. My wife and I could only watch helplessly as our life was consumed by the flames.

The contents of the small messenger bag I grabbed on the way out that night is all that survived the fire. The bag contained my cell phone, my Palm T|X, travel chargers for both, a couple of 2GB SD cards, earbuds for the T|X, a Palm Universal Wireless (IR) keyboard, my car and apartment keys, and my wallet. By having everything together in one bag, I did not have to worry about forgetting anything when I left the house each morning.

Before the fire, I used my Palm T|X as an extension of my laptop (the desktop was my wife's). I retrieved pieces of information during the course of the day, I checked my schedule and todo list, or looked up a phone number using Agendus Pro, checked email using Agendus Mail, captured expenses using SplashMoney, checked the weather forecast using 4Cast, read ebooks using eReader, and listened to MP3s using Pocket Tunes.

Since the fire, my Palm T|X has become my laptop replacement. When paired with the Palm Universal Wireless (IR) Keyboard for data entry, I have found that the T|X can handle most of the tasks previously done my laptop. I utilize the programs Documents To Go (ver 8.003) more than I have in the past to open and edit Microsoft Word and Excel files, and Agendus Pro (ver 12.04) for scheduling and generating todo lists. I have also found that PalmPDF is a fantastic PDF viewer. The program Watchm has even replaced my alarm clock.

I must confess that my Palm T|X has really come to my rescue. It has been able to do a lot of the work I previously did on my laptop, and it has allowed me to continue being productive. While this is not the ideal setup (a PDA can never fully replace a laptop), it does function quite well with one exception: the lack of internet access. My cell phone does not have bluetooth, and the T|X does not have celluar capabilities. As a result, I have to go to the local public library for email, or find a WiFi connection at one of the local restaurants.

I have been an avid PA reader for about five years now, and I have always found this site to be very informative and entertaining.

Thank you for allowing me to tell you about how my Palm T|X has come to my rescue in recent weeks, and its previously unfulfilled capabilities. Never underestimate the power of the Palm.