If I were 48 and still had another 9 years or 10 years of career ahead of me, would my technology choices be any different?
Some choices would still be the same. For example, I would still have my iPod and Pocket PC. I would still have an iMac at home.
But, I would probably have a Windows Mobile Smartphone with Verizon, likely a Treo, instead of a BlackBerry Curve with AT&T. Two reasons for that. The first is that the company I worked for supported Windows Mobile, but not BlackBerry’s. And, the second: from my past experience with both Verizon and AT&T, Verizon seems to have the better coverage to the areas I traveled to, which often included remote areas as well as major cities. In the major cities, both are fine, but outside of that they vary.
There might be a couple of other differences, too. For example, I would look strongly at getting a Tablet PC for my travels (instead of using the company-supplied laptop). Thomas sent a link to me in which Tim Berry, founder of Palo Alto Software, discusses 5 things he likes about his Tablet PC. A pretty informative read.
I considered getting a Tablet PC about 3 years ago, but felt that the battery life was too short to suit me. But Tablet PCs do appeal to me. I am from a generation that grew up writing things by hand, instead of typing everything on a computer. Hence, for me, I sometimes organize my thoughts better when I am writing than when I am typing. I do okay with typing, but a lot of times I still prefer handwriting. For example, when I do a mindsweep, it is all handwritten.
I think the picture for Tablet PC users is better now than three years ago. For example, battery life is not as much of a consideration, since many conference rooms are now fitted with electrical outlets for all participants. Plus, it looks to me like battery life has been improved for Tablet PCs.
And, there is some great software for Tablet PC users. One that comes to mind that I would likely use is OneNote. I have the 2003 version, but haven’t used it in over a year, mainly because I use my iMac almost exclusively now. But, my sense is that OneNote could be a great project management tool, and, of course, if I were working I would likely use it a lot.
I would expect that a Tablet PC would work well for taking notes during meetings and for when I am interviewing people on the road. So, I am not 100-percent-sure I would get a Tablet PC, but I think I would. I would certainly evaluate it closely.
One other change I might make is to get a Kindle. No way for me to justify that right now, but I could see me using one a fair amount on the road to unwind a bit at night before bed. I am generally satisfied with how well my Pocket PC works for eBook reading, but of course it is not designed for it like the Kindle is, and there are not nearly as many titles available for it as for the Kindle.
Well, that’s the extent of my thought experiment. Your thoughts?
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Pat 01.03.08 at 8:14 pm
I have an Acer Tablet at work and use it for Mind Mapping and importing notes taken on my IPAQ into OneNote. Mindmanager has an excellent interface for either keyboard or pen entry and in Tablet mode the Acer Tablet with Mindmanager makes an excellent brainstorming tool. I have maintained my affinity for a conventional PDA with at least a 3.5″ screen since my first Jornada in 2001. I have an inexpensive simple phone (Verizon) for my voice calls. I use the IPAQ as a laptop replacement when I am out and about. I have an 8 GB SDHC card ($30) that contains all my books, podacasts, TV programs, and music as well as Mindmaps and documents. The PDA weighs 3.7 oz. is hardly noticeable in my pocket. I maintain archives of all my personal and work stuff including email on an external USB drive and use a Sndisk 4 GB Cruzer with Synctoy (Free MS Powertoy) to maintain backup/synchronization of all my mail, Onenote Notebook, Mind Maps and Documents between my work Tablet and my Acer notebook at home. I subscribe to the GTD approach and use a Mindmap in Presentation mode for my weekly review. I manage all my projects both @work and @home with Oulook calendar, tasks and a checklist program. I gor started down thsi path after reading your excellent suggestions/instructions for implementing an organized workflow which I have personally customized into my Lifeflow. Thanks for all the excellent advice.
Sincerely,
Pat
Bruce 01.03.08 at 9:29 pm
Hi Pat,
Thank You, very much, for walking through your use of technology, and especially for mentioning (1) mindmapping and (2) using Pocket PC notes within OneNote. I am a huge fan of MindManager and am amazed that I overlooked how useful it could be on a Tablet PC, with the GTD use being a great example.
Thanks again for sharing!
Stefan 01.04.08 at 2:27 pm
With all respect, would you use an UMPC/UMD.
such as GIGABYTE U60 UMPC. (mini tablet fomfactors).
It would be very interesting to read what you Pro peolpe think about that plattform.
…and if you do not mind me asking.
Best regard,
Stefan
Bruce 01.04.08 at 3:41 pm
Hi Stefan,
UMPC’s are certainly getting a lot of press. I’m not sure that is the form factor I would be looking for, though. The Tablet PC size would suit me more, if I were still working, I believe. It would be a full-sized laptop for me when I wanted a “regular laptop” along with the benefits of a Tablet when I wanted that niceness. I would probably at least try to get my hands on a UMPC to try one out, but doubt that I would be sold on one versus a Tablet PC. But someone who has used both would be better at discussing this subject than me. For me it is hypothetical.
Thanks for bringing it up, though. There are probably a lot of folks using an UMPC with great success.
Thomas R. Hall 01.13.08 at 10:34 pm
Tablet PCs have one major thing over UMPCs to me - the active digitizer. I like being able to rest my hand on the screen without any screen vectoring issues. It allows for a much more natural handwriting experience.
OneNote 2007 is a major update to OneNote, by the way. It does things like OCR recognition in images that you pull in (for example, a photo of a business card, etc.) and now uses native ink support.
Personally, the handwriting recognition in Tablet PCs is what I wanted on a PDA, and with battery life going up to 6-8+ hours (even 10+ in some models), Tablets could replace most functionality that I use a PDA for (except for the pocketable aspect).
Bruce 01.13.08 at 10:49 pm
Good feedback Thomas. Definitely confirms that I would have one if I were younger. Thanks.