The Palm Pilot is back and now it’s better, it’s even changed it’s name to Samsung Note
Obviously it is streets ahead of the old Palm but it in some ways it is another case of back to the future.
Originally I was skeptical about the size of the ipad because I was so used to my pocket sized digital PDA, and my laptop, which had an A4 footprint (this was before laptops became portable desktops). Of course the difference wasn’t just the size, the ipad had cool apps, and outstanding functionality (instant on, touch screen, battery life). The ipad was Mac Donald’s, my devices were steak and 3 veg.
The problem for me was size was important, size meant convenience. I don’t want to carry around clipboard, or a ‘man bag’ or a brief case when I move around university. I had an original iPhone but it a pain to use because it was just that bit too small.
I wanted what I had 15 years ago; the biggest functional device that will fit in my pocket. The Note gives me that, in fact I haven’t picked up the ipad since I got the Note. The ipad is now a convenient ‘coffee table’ device; it has become a portable device rather than mobile one.
As an enterprise device the Note still has the limitations common to both the iPad and android devices in that it doesn’t naturally integrate and sync with my work enterprise system. There are work arounds, but I would prefer a device that syncs up like my laptop, in the mean time I’m stuck with gmail and Dropbox.