A week or so ago, I packaged up my old Handspring Visor Deluxe, wrapped up all the peripherals I had collected over the years, and deposited it in a FedEx box bound to the winning eBay bidder.

I had finally cut off all of my ties to the Palm OS.

Looking back, this was a hard decision to make. I had bought another PDA a while ago, but I held onto my Visor for six months while it gathered dust. Finally, after discovering all that I could do with my PocketPC device, well, it was time to let go.

I loved the Palm OS. My Palm device brought me out of the dark ages of stationary computing, and opened my eyes to the world of mobile computing. No longer did I have to perform my mundane document-creating under the dank flickering bulbs of an under-lit office. I could sit at Starbucks with the rest of the urban hip, beaming off my business card like every day was a dot-com networking party. Add to the mix the rest of my accessories (Stowaway keyboard, Eyemodule camera, MP3 Player, Backup module) and I was a gadget-happy, pro-Visor, module-swapping infomaniac.

However, one can only use so many Springboards. It wasn't long before I realized I needed something more flexible. Why should I keep buying all these add-ons, when I can get a device with all these functions already added in? Did I really need all this functionality? What did I want my PDA to do?

These are soul-searching questions, the answers to which will either place you in the Palm OS camp, or the PocketPC camp. The philosophies of each OS lend themselves to different types of users: Palm has always sold the simplicity of their device, while the PocketPC appeals to those who need something closer to a handheld computer. Where did that leave me? First I had to determine what I would be using my device for now, and where I would use it in the future.

My story: I am a consultant right now; I work in healthcare. Specifically, I go from hospital account to hospital account. However, in the fall, I will be a law student; therefore, I need something that will satisfy my needs as a mobile worker now, but will also help me when I'm a student later. I need a robust device that will keep track of all my contacts and appointments today, but will enable me to create documents in the future. And that device must also be able to handle large amounts of data, be it documents, databases, or media files.

In healthcare, Palm is the obvious choice for right now. Just compare pdaMD to pdaJD. There are so many more medical applications for the Palm OS than for Pocket PC. One can download all sorts of patient tracking software, medication databases, there are even medical textbooks in Palm format. Lawyers have little, if any of that. Are attorneys less mobile than doctors? I think not. I believe that even though the present software and hardware doesn't reflect a strong presence in the legal arena, it will soon be there. There are existing solutions that will lead to better solutions.

A previous article on this site astutely pointed out that lawyers are in the business of the written word. Clearly the most important applications (besides tracking and billing) will be in the area of document creation, retrieval, and viewing. From the Palm arena, one has the choice of Wordsmith, Docs to Go, and many other great programs that will translate into MS Word. But why spend money upgrading every few months? Why not get a program that automatically translates directly into Word? Why not use a Pocket version of Word, like say, Pocket Word? An intriguing notion.

Lawyering is also a client-based profession (for the most part). Keeping track of appointments, contacts, and data are key. To do this you need a handheld that talks well to existing software, and mirrors what is stored on the main PC. Enough memory to hold the really large files would be nice as well. I used to use Palm Desktop. It was intuitive, easy, and took care of my needs. However, as my client base grew, and my need for a more integrated PIM developed, Palm Desktop became too limited. I needed more fields, more places to take notes on my contacts, and I needed to be able to get my email and those email attachments. I'm not really a fan of Outlook, but it was already on my computer, so I ended up exporting all my data. It was a nightmare! I ended up with multiple entries, missing fields, and a deep-felt hatred with all things Microsoft. After working out all the kinks, I still found the data transfer between Palm and Outlook a little messy. Multiple categories did not work well, and I kept crashing and wiping out my Visor. I like to tweak, but even I have to draw the line somewhere.

So where to go from there? Enter the iPAQ. With the Expansion Paks, Compaq has satisfied my thirst for a flexible device. I can add Bluetooth, a GSM/GPRS cell phone sleeve, a Compact Flash or PC Card sleeve, or a modem. I opted for the 3635 (the 3800 series was not available yet). It has 32MB of internal memory, but more importantly, I was able to buy and use a 128MB CompactFlash card to store more pictures, PDF files, email attachments, and yes, music. The iPAQ has a Voice recorder as well (most of the PPC devices do) for quick messages to myself when I don't have time to type. It synchronizes seamlessly with Outlook, Word, and Excel, and can even synchronize with Microsoft Access.

I do lose out on some of the small footprint of the Palm Device. Palm devices are more compact, and somewhat more aesthetic (that Sony Clié is a nice little number). I also find that I have to recharge nightly instead of weekly. However, I've found the benefits greatly outweigh the small faults.

Right now I've been able to successfully do everything I did with my Handspring Visor without jingling a bag full of cartridges. I am typing this article on my iPAQ with a Stowaway Keyboard. When I'm done, I'm going to connect to my cell phone and email it off. Then I will back up my handheld onto my Compact Flash card, listen to some MP3's off of Windows Media Player, and maybe play a game of SimCity 2000 and surf the web with Pocket Internet Explorer.

I'm also studying for the Patent Bar Exam which I take in a month by reading the Manual of Patent Examination Procedure that I also have downloaded to my CF card. It beats carrying around that phonebook-sized monstrosity everywhere I go.

Pocket PC is working well for me right now. Despite the sheer volume of Palm devices and Palm software on the market right now, I believe that the Pocket PC has the more robust OS that lawyers and law students need. We don't have time to tweak and download conduits and make sure all of our applications talk to each other. The faster our devices integrate out of the box, the faster we can get to solving the problems we're getting paid to solve, and generating those magically cryptic written words only others in the profession can decipher.

In the meantime, I've become the social pariah at Starbucks, since I'm the one of the few not beaming Palm to Palm. No one is looking over my shoulder to get a glance at the MPEP, but I'm too busy to notice when I'm also I'm playing Simcity 2000, surfing the web, listening to music, and thinking about typing another article.

(Next time I'll discuss the why I don't need wires to surf the web, and why I see Blue everywhere.)

Join a discussion about this article

If you would like to join others in chatting about this article or sharing a similar experience, join our discussion board at this thread:

Ted Joe will be attending the University of San Francisco School of Law this fall. He is an admitted gadget addict, and can be currently found in New York with a cell phone in one hand and an iPAQ in the other.

Missed a column? Find just the one you are looking for in our back issues collection.

Have an idea for a great Column? Use our Column Submission and tell us about it. Who knows, you may see your suggestion on the  pdaJD.com  home page.