My Palm Backup

Evening, Sammy and PA readers. I definitely have gotten used to carrying only one device now that have a Centro. Its small size makes it a tool I always have nearby.  I like to sync it several times per day mainly to refresh my AvantGo pages but also to save any new info I entered on my Centro onto my home Mac or office PC. During lunch today I connected my Centro to my home Mac and hit the HotSync button and sat down for a nice lunch with my wife and kids (I only live 3 miles from my office). However, after lunch and some small talk, I head back to work...without my Centro. This almost never happens. I nearly always check my pocket to ensure that I have it before heading out the door. I noticed its absence while seeing my third afternoon patient. At first I was annoyed with myself. This meant I would always have to leave the exam if I needed a book or a calculator. Suddenly, I recalled I had left my old Palm Tungsten T|T3 here for the other docs to use if needed.  My reason for doing so was that they would frequently ask me to check drug-to-drug interactions on my Palm, therefore if I left the T|T3 for them I would be interrupted less. Walking down the hall I saw that the T|T3 was still sitting in its dock, waiting to be used. Five minutes after pushing the HotSync button, my drug formularies were updated and I was good to go. The afternoon was a breeze with a Palm still in my hand.

Now that I been using the Centro for a while I can definitely notice some differences between the devices. First is the obvious size and weight. The T|T3 feels huge by comparison but the all-aluminum case feels great in the hand. Second, the Centro's screen is much brighter which is a good thing because for its size it helps when trying to read things. Third, the T|T3 is much, much faster. Things literally snap onto the screen. Add a app like PXA clocker to it and its performance is instantaneous! Finally, I somewhat miss Graffiti. Although there is a learning curve to use it well, once mastered it can be quite quick. I still have a tough time with my biggish thumbs on the Centro's keyboard. Nevertheless, I will be moving back to the Centro tomorrow. There is something about having all that capability in one small package. And its my only cellphone;)

Take care to all and looking forward to reading about CES 2009 here among other places. AnthonyC