People tend to develop a very personal relationship to a device that they carry with them at all times. The newly launched Palm VII Connected Organizer is that kind of device, which quickly becomes a constant companion and an indispensable tool. Andrew Rothman, a Palm VII beta tester, shared his experience with Mobile Data Magazine.

A marriage made in heaven

Andrew Rothman, a computer programmer and Web developer with his own small business, has been an avid Palm users since early 1996, when he and his wife began using the first Pilot 5000 to plan their wedding. Today, Andrew carries his Palm VII with him at all times, using it both for business and in his personal life.

"When you work for yourself as I do, business is personal, and it can happen at any time," notes Andrew, who is responsible for a number of live web sites and needs to be available 24 hours a day. Normally, he spends about 30 percent of his time outside the office, but the Palm VII helps him keep in touch with his customers.

Keep on top of things
When the Palm VII beta testing program began in November 1998, Andrew Rothman was a natural candidate. As a veteran Palm user and a computer professional, he was able to put the new device through the paces, testing both the new features and the Palm.Net services. Was he pleased with this breakthrough product? "It's revolutionary," says Andrew.

Like many Palm users, Andrew Rothman relies heavily on the Address Book and Calendar applications. With these simple and extremely intuitive applications, he can organize his business and personal life and keep on top of things, relying on the alarm function in the Calendar application to remind him where he is supposed to be next.

As a dedicated Palm user, however, Andrew admits to keeping "voluminous notes on all subjects on the palmtop," including technical references that he needs in the field, as well as personal information.

"When my wife or I see a movie that we think we might like, we jot it into one of our Palm Organizers. We never have that 'What to rent?' dilemma when we go to the video store," says Andrew.

Quantum leap in utility
When he first became a Palm user in 1996 and used the palmtop to plan his wedding, Andrew Rothman quickly discovered the device's value as an organizer. "I used it to keep track of names, numbers, notes, prices for caterers, flowers ­ the whole works," he recalls, adding that he's been a huge fan of the Palm family ever since.

As he became more reliant on his Palm Organizer, Andrew began to use it as a personal information retrieval system from which he could recall all kinds of data entered on the device at one time or another. Used in this way, the palmtop replaced bulky paper organizers and provided a better way of doing something that was already being done, notes Andrew. With the addition of wireless data communications, however, he feels that the Palm VII has taken a quantum leap in utility.

"The Palm VII does something that has never been done ­ putting Internet access in your pocket. By itself, that's revolutionary," says Andrew. "It's not the first wireless IP solution, or even the first pocket organizer. But the Palm VII is the first to combine the two in such a compact, elegant and usable package."

Just the facts, please
As a computer programmer and Web designer, Andrew Rothman was naturally drawn to the web clipping paradigm and the Palm.Net services. When the Palm VII was launched in June, there were 22 Palm Query Applications (PQAs) from various content providers. Barely three months after the launch, the number had climbed to more than 85, with new PQAs being added almost daily.

"Of the PQAs that I've used, USWest Dex, which provides a telephone directory service, and Mapquest have been the most useful. With those two, I can find the address and phone number of any business and then get directions for driving there," says Andrew.

"When traveling or meeting travelers at the airport, the Travelocity flight times application is invaluable. I've also used the Yahoo! People Search to find home numbers. I often check the weather with the weather channel, and it's fun to check my stocks with E-Trade," continues Andrew, who has also built a couple of simple query applications himself that allow him to check the status of a web server for which he is responsible.

"Compared with a conventional browser, the web clipping paradigm is a reasonable compromise, given the dimensions of a device that fits in your shirt pocket and the price of wireless IP," observes Andrew Rothman. "When I'm on the go, I want just the facts, so the clipping service saves me time and money."

More pleasure, less waiting
The Palm VII can save time and money in other ways, too, as Andrew discovered on a recent vacation in Washington, D.C. with his wife. "While we were in Washington, a client called with a server problem," relates Andrew. "I asked the client to e-mail the pertinent information to my Palm VII. Within moments, I had the data, scribbled down the solution, and sent it back to the client. I did all of this from the lobby of the National Gallery. Without the Palm VII, I would have had to return to my hotel room, start up my laptop, dial-in to the server long distance, and solve the problem. Instead, the problem was solved in minutes, and I spent the rest of the day enjoying the museums."

The Palm VII organizer uses a wireless
connection and the Palm.Net to enable
users to obtain information from the
Internet, conduct e-commerce
transactions and send and recieve
instant messages.