Re: [at-l] H/PC's and BellSouth Pager/Hike

[Bill Thorneloe <thornel@ibm.net>]

I have a Palm Pilot given as a Christmas present. The usual experience
with these is intense use for several weeks to a few months, and then
discarded along with the lava lamp and 8-track tapes. That sounds like a
lot of hikes and journals. ;-) However, so far I like it but recognize a
few weaknesses.

There are other PDA's out there that are as good and cheaper, probably
lighter. For the sounds of it, the Royal (can't remember the name), and
the Rex by Franklin are the chief alternatives. Memory is very expensive
for these gadgets. One can purchase attachments for pagers, cellphones,
modems, GPS and all sorts of things. 

My suspicion is that they _could_ be fairly good journal keepers if you
don't mind printing, and you have a way to either mail one off to be
transcribed or download it to a computer in a trail town. Personally, I
wouldn't want to carry a cradle for it or have to search for a cradle in
a trail town to download my messages. At least a journal would be
transcribed and ready for insertion to a web page with little to no
editing.

These are definitely lighter and smaller than a laptop. I wonder how
they would compare to ink and paper for longevity during a cloudburst
that soaked your pack before you got the cover on it. I suspect they are
more durable than a microcassette recorder and keeping track of the
cassettes. I know that the weight is comparable.

OrangeBug
Atlanta, GA

> KC wrote:
> 
> I am considering taking a very small Palm PC or the new BellSouth
> Pager,,,the pager can hold 500 character messages containing up to 500
> characters each. You can send 50,000 characters for $25 a month. I
> forget my computer basics,,,how many pages would that be? How many
> characters are in a 9KB message? Any suggestions from you computer
> wizards about using one of those Organizers or Palm PC's or this
> pager? I would be willing to carry up to 1 1/2 pounds in gear. Right
> now I am leaning towards using a micro cassette but that would mean
> more work for Leapfrog. Thanks KC aka War Eagle


* From the Appalachian Trail Mailing List |  http://www.backcountry.net  *

==============================================================================