My Palm helps me be more paper-free!
Life with two Palms, will the Pre change that?
I’ve been using a Palm consistently since 1997. A couple years ago I made the leap to the TX, and last fall I bought a Treo 755p. It’s really funny to me, because I didn’t think I would ever want my phone and palm to be combined. Boy was I wrong!
However, it takes both my TX and my Treo to meet the requirements of my Palm addiction, and here’s why…
THE TX and WHAT’S GREAT: The screen size is ideal for reading email, MyBible & ebooks, and playing games. The free WiFi connection (mostly using my router at home) rocks for checking the weather, surfing the web, downloading MP3s, etc. WHAT’S NOT GREAT: No qwerty keyboard and it’s not a phone. If I carry the TX, I have to carry a phone too. Now that I have a qwerty keyboard (on the Treo) it is noticeably longer and a much bigger pain to enter text on the TX. My thumbs just WANT that keyboard!
TREO 755p and WHAT’S GREAT: The opposite of the TX --- the phone and my PDA are one, no need to carry two devices, and entering text with the keyboard is f-a-s-t! WHAT’S NOT GREAT: No free WiFi and internet access unless pre-purchased or becomes very pricey! The screen size is so much smaller… not great for any type of reading or game playing.
WHAT’S GREAT ON BOTH? Many of the same applications I’ve come to depend on over the years work on both. Apps like HandyShopper, SplashShopper, SplashID, MyBible, Agendus, Diet Diary and of course my favorite Astraware games (especially Bejeweled 2)… and the list goes on.
SO… I’ve seen the photos and read the reviews, but whether or not the PRE will revolutionize my Palm life again --- and turn me back into a one-Palm-gal remains to be seen. I’m a Sprint customer and just signed up to receive an email when its available, and am looking forward to getting my hands on it. Looks like I’ll be visiting my Sprint store soon…
Everybody aught to Ringo!
Well.. at least everybody who owns a smart-phone should!
I added Ringoto my Palm Treo 755p and have been using it for the last few weeks --- it’s an absolute joy to use. Ringo is really easy to set up, and doesn’t require any maintenance after that… of course you may find it fun to change your ring tones. J
The first thing I did with Ringo is set up different ringtones to let me know by the ring if it's my husband or kids calling. Then I set up my kids so there photo shows when they call. (I showed my daughter the one I'm using for her and I was TOLD to get a new one an soon -- that made me laugh!)
One great feature is to set the hours the phone is turned on. Mine is set to turn off at 11 pm, and back on at 7 am. When it goes off (and back on) it plays a nice warning tone, and you can always choose to turn it back on if you need to. I like it because saves battery power and I don’t have to be concerned someone will mistakenly dial my phone in the middle of the night!
Why not give it a try? You can download and test drive the full version of Ringo Free for 7 days!
With Ringo Pro from Electric Pocket you can:
- Set personal ringtones and message tones by individuals or groups
- Group business and personal contacts (or other address book groups) --- then silence a whole group with a tap. Great for meetings! (Or if there is a certain someone you don’t want to talk to “right now” --- silence only their calls).
- Add pictures to individuals or groups
- Use MP3s to turn your own music and/or sound clips into ringtones and message tones
- Choose from 50 free Ringo Ringtones to use with your Treo (download directly or via download to your computer and transfer to your phone using a memory card). The collection includes several musical genres, and some holiday tones.
- The FAQ page includes links to websites where you can upload your own music from your PC and have it converted to a ringtone and sent to your phon
Check it out --- Ringo is now available on Treo, Centro, BlackBerry, Android and Windows Mobile smartphones. I understand that, "Ringo is the world's best selling ringtone manager. Over a hundred thousand smartphone users have found Ringo to be the perfect tool to make their phone truly their own!"
The coolness
Wow, the new Palm looks awesome! My hubby and I were watching coverage of CES on G4 last night and even he (my non-Palm-using-husband) thought it looked very cool! Maybe he’ll finally be drawn to the lure of Palm!
What was really interesting too, was that the person they interviewed said they would give up both their BlackBerry and I-Phone if they could get their hands on the new Palm. I can’t wait to see what happens when it hits the street!
Using my TX to grocery shop & manage my budget
On this very rainy morning in West Michigan I've been using my TX to plan my grocery list using SplashShopper from SplashData.com. Its a great program for managing your grocery list and so much more! I use it for Christmas lists, packing lists, 401K stocks, etc... and last night I set up a list of 100 calorie food snacks! I've also been using HandyShopper this morning to manage my budget. I've tried other programs... but I came right back to HandyShopper. Of course it is another great program for making lists, and it's free. To tell you the truth though, I wouldn't give up either of these programs!
For my fellow Palm Addicts and their families who are in the path of "Ike" --- my prayers and thoughts are with you!
Using Handheld Diet Diary on my Palm TX
As of late I am once again tracking my calories and exercise using the Palm software from calorieking.com (www.calorieking.com) called the Handheld Diet Diary, which I have used on/off for a few years now. Although I am a bit disappointed that they have stopped updating the food database, it is still a wonderful program and I will continue to use it. It’s easy to use, has a LARGE database of food and exercise, and you can add your own foods/exercises easily too.
HandyShopper and SplashShopper
I noticed a post and link to HandyShopper for Pocket PCs, so I wanted to make sure those who have Palm PDAs know where to find this great free program. HandyShopper 3.01 (updated May 2008) is available from Freewarepalm.com.
I have a Palm TX and started using SplashShopper from Splashdata.com a few years ago for my grocery shopping. But I just can't bear to part with my HandyShopper-based budget. I use it to track all of my regular monthly expenses, due dates, payment dates --- as well as those unexpected expenses.
One really nice thing with HandyShopper is that I can click the "$" to see a total for all or by category of what has been spent so far, and expenses budgeted for the remaining year.
I use SplashShopper for my grocery list (by aisle and category) and for my Christmas gift and vacation packing lists.
I highly recommend both of these programs! If you need a list program -- check these out!
Why my daughter loves her new Treo 755p
Of course I could tell you why I love my TX... and all the other Palm PDAs I've had over the years... But I think it will be more fun to tell you why my daughter loves hers. Why? --- because after YEARS of telling/showing her how valuable a Palm can be, she FINALLY has one of her own.
So, you are probably wondering what tipped the scales in favor of owning a Palm, right? Well, we recently signed up with a new wireless provider and got new phones to go with our family plan. Of course doing that you can get the Treo 755p for a pretty darn good price!
Why else? Well, she has 2 children (ages 9 & 12) who are involved in several different sports activities, as well as a big (120 lb) dog, and a steady boyfriend who has 2 children (ages 5 & 9). Trying to keep up with everyone's schedule finally convinced her that maybe a Palm could make her life easier and more organized -- and of course it has!
I'm so proud, I have a Palm-offspring! :-) And of course I can't help but say, "told ya so!"
Great Customer Service & Repairs
Customer service and electronics repair can be a frustrating experience (just ask me, I've spent hours on the phone with my cell phone provider in the last 2 weeks)... So I want share a couple of great experiences I've had recently. One palm-related and one is not...
I found FixYourPDA.com while wandering around on eBay one day and boy am I happy about that! Last summer my Palm TX mistakenly came into contact with some rootbeer (my grand-daughter's), and although it continued to work, it started loosing areas of the touchscreen. I kept using it until December, when my hubby bought me another TX for Christmas (what a guy!)...
Anyway, fast-forward to June when I finally decided to get it fixed and contacted Clinton at Fixyourpda.com. He was quick to respond with an estimate to repair based on my description of the problems. I just mailed the TX to him on June 28 and got it back on Saturday, July 5. He is friendly, helpful, quick and a great communicator. So --- if you need a repair or to buy parts, check out Fixyourpda.com. PS They have an eBay store too!
My 2nd great customer service experience is with Kodak.com. I contacted them about my 5100 All in One printer which was having problems. They contacted me within hours with instructions to try... and when they didn't work, contacted me again regarding sending out a replacement for a bad part (tp arrive within 2 business days). They were friendly, helpful and quick!
It was truly a delight to be a customer of both of these companies!