Want a device that can do what my old Z could!
Hi! I'm new to this forum, and thought this looked like a logical thread to post my query on -- hope so! :-)
I've been using a Palm OS device for several years now, but I still miss my old ZR-5700. I had to move to a new device because:
1) Syncing the 5700 with PC applications (calendar, documents, spreadsheet) was cumbersome.
2) I needed more memory ( I think the 5700 had 640K).
3) I couldn't get anything compatible with Quicken for it, nor any good games.
But that old PDA did lots of things better than my Palm OS devices have:
1) The drawing app (Scrapbook) was much better -- with map symbols you could insert, fill feature, etc.
2) Notes was great for handwritten notes, which could be viewed in several formats, plus the stylus drew much more smoothly for handwritten notes.
3) The calendar app (Activities) was the best I've ever seen -- with appointments, to do, and the current month all appearing on the main screen -- and you could navigate with that month display! Plus, you could drag the sylus across a time bar to set an appointment time, AND you weren't limited to 5-minute increments for appointment times.
4) Documents was MUCH more robust than Memopad is -- you could choose different fonts for different files, instead of just one font for ALL Memopad files (just one example).
5) Filer had file folders available in which you could file things from any of the apps -- calendar, contacts, documents, spreadsheets, etc. So, you could put everything relating to a certain contact into a folder -- appointments, map, letters written, etc.
6) When you did a Search, you could specify a date range, and even search in reverse chronological order if you wanted. (Such a simple thing, but missing from the Palm!)
7) The wide screen was great for viewing spreadsheets, documents -- really, almost anything. I HATE the teensy screens on most Palm devices.
The keyboard, while small, was actually usable.
9) I don't remember what kind of security the 5700 had, but I HATE that the Palm takes SEVEN pen-touches to re-mask files after you've looked at them. The Z would automatically re-mask any file after you closed it, unless you re-set its security status.
I've been thinking of getting a Sony CLIE UX40 or 50, because it at least has a usable keyboard and a wider screen. Does anyone know how I could duplicate the features of the ZR-5700 in a new device? I'm sure there must be Palm OS software out there that would do some of this, but I don't know how to find out unless I buy it and try it out, and that could get expensive!
I still have my old Z, though the batteries need replacing, but I sometimes think I should search back through my old PC files, restore its data, and start using it again!
Feeling Z nostalgia,
Greta
