> Hi,
>
> I'm the happy owner of a Tandy Zoomer; I've had it for almost a
> year now, although I haven't really tweaked it very much. But, ever
> since I tried out Graffiti on a Motorola Marco I was evaluating for my
> lab (whee :-), I've become more and more easily frustrated at times
> with the handwriting recognition on the Zoomer (since I really enjoyed
> using Graffiti). I was actually at a meeting today where a guy from
> Palm/USR unveiled and showed off the new Pilot 2.0. It looked pretty
> spiffy, but except for the size and except for Graffiti, I think I'd
> be plenty happy with the Zoomer, especially because of its great
> applications, like Pocket Quicken. So, I was curious, what is the
> general opinion on the Zoomer vs. the Pilot? I know there are a lot
> of happy Zoomer users out there; what kind of enhancements/software
> have you obtained to make your Zoomer more productive?
>
I owned a Zoomer (actually, I owned 2) for about two years. I was a GEOS
junkie, and I just loved the efficiency and power of the Zoomer. For me,
however, there were several points about the (native) Zoomer that bothered
me.
First, the size was just too big for my tastes. I found that though it is
small, I found myself leaving it behind due to its size. The Pilot fits
in my shirt pocket nicely, and I bought the leather belt case which is
slick.
Second, connectivity with my Desktop was a big hassle for me. I found
that I really only connected my Zoomer to my PC to do backups. The
Pilot's HotSync feature makes it a no-brainer so I sync all the time.
Third, Graffiti was installed native in the Pilot. I installed it on
my Zoomer, and after using it on the Zoomer, that was a BIG plus for me.
If you don't have Graffiti for the Zoomer, try hard to get it. It REALLY
improves input accuracy. There are some who just don't like it, but for
me, it turned the Zoomer into a real tool.
Way back when (probably two or three years ago) we had a discussion
concerning how to improve the Zoomer. The final descriptions basically
described what eventually became the Pilot (except we wanted it GEOS-based
and wanted the unit larger.) Anyway, for me, the Pilot has fit my needs.
I purchased a Pilot when it was first released back in May, 1996, and I
have used it almost every day since.
On the down side, though its size is convenient, I sometimes wish the
Polit's screen was bigger. Also, its construction (case) seems flimsier
than it should be. The Zoomer's "rubbery" feel and solid construction is
a REAL plus. I also miss the Zoomer's flip-over cover. The sound
synthesizer in the Zoomer also blows the doors off of the Pilot's sound
system. It was REALLY cool being able to play .WAV files on my Zoomer!
So, the Zoomer is not perfect, and the Pilot is not perfect. Several
debates like this have sprung up regarding which is better, the
Zoomer or the Newton, the Pilot or the Zoomer, etc. It really isn't an
issue of which is better, it's an issue of which will work best for YOU
based on how YOU do things and what YOU expect. If you want to run
Windows apps, go buy one of the new WinCE machines. The're pretty hot.
If you want a shirt pocket-sized device that synchronizes with your PC
with one button press, buy a Pilot. If you want the efficiency of GEOS
and want a bit larger workspace, grab a Zoomer. If you want DOS
compatibility, get one of the HP handhelds.
As far as applications go, the Pilot has a rather large following with a
rather large number of commercial and shareware/freeware apps.
By the way, US Robotics had (has?) a promotion that if you buy a Pilot,
you can unconditionally return it within 30 days if you don't like it.
It's a really good way to "test-drive" it.
I hope I haven't come across as too much of a Pilot advocate or a Zoomer
basher, because I'm not. I LOVED my Zoomers, and I LOVE my Pilot. The
important thing is that we ALL use our hand-held PDA's IN PUBLIC to show
the rest of the world what they are missing my not being able to take
their data with them!
> Also, I think I'd really like to try to get Graffiti for my
> Zoomer, but I know it's really hard to find. Would anyone who's
> joined the _____ side (don't want to start a flame war ;-) and gone
> off to use another PDA, like say the Pilot, be willing to sell
> Graffiti for the Zoomer? Or perhaps Graffiti and a Flash RAM card
> bundled together? (Can you use Graffiti without the flash ram card?)
> All at a *reasonable* price, of course.. I am a student after
> all... :-)
>
> Thanks! I look forward to hearing any advice or responses...
>
> -Jit
>
> ==================================================================
> Debajit Ghosh, CS '97 djib@mit.edu
> WWW: http://www.mit.edu/~djib/ PGP Key available upon request
> ==================================================================
>
>
-Jim
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James W. Barr, N9ONL | e-mail: jbarr@mcs.com
Buffalo Grove, IL, USA | Web site: http://www.mcs.net/~jbarr
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US Robotics' Pilot Organizer info: http://www.usr.com
GEOS Operating system info : http://www.geoworks.com
GEOS IZL info: send e-mail to jferas@netaxs.com
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