Mmm.. PDAs

[Guest avisee]

I was fortunate enough to get some gift money recently, and my mind turned to getting a PDA. I'd read so many things about med students having them, but I could also see the benefits of having one in my pre-med life.

 

The only problem is, the moment I start looking into buying one, I can see the price escalating with all the potential add-ons. I know you can get a decent new one for under a hundred bucks these days, but I start doing mental economizing, and don't know if I'd justify buying a 100 dollar phone book. For only a hundred dollars more, I can get one that plays mp3s, and for only a hundred dollars more than that one, I can get one with a digital camera, which is something else I've wanted to get but never could quite justify buying on its own. Then there's the hard case and expansion card to play mp3s and suddenly I'm looking at almost 600 bucks with tax and shipping, and not many greater deals on ebay.

 

When I try to convince myself to simplify, I start arguing that I'll just want a new one in a few years anyway if I don't cave and buy all the bells and whistles. But the thought of carrying a 600 dollar piece of machinery in my pocket also brings to mind the high incidence of campus theft.

 

I'm not exactly in a financial position where I should be going around buying expensive toys like these, but I know that if I don't spend it here I'll end up buying a bunch of slightly less expensive items totaling the same value (especially books!). Since the money was a gift, I feel the need to put it towards something significant, rather than just paying off my credit card now instead of in a month when the OSAP cheque comes. (Or, the more sensible person would say, pay off my credit card bill now and THEN buy the PDA when the OSAP money comes, although that still leaves the question: do I really need it?).

 

Anyway.. does anyone else suffer the same acquisition guilt around new technology? Does it make sense to reward myself by spending gift money even though my financial state is less than stellar?

[Guest peachy]

I can get one with a digital camera, which is something else I've wanted to get but never could quite justify buying on its own.

Having a digital camera on a PDA is just a toy, imho. The resolution isn't going to be good enough to act as a real camera, that is, you aren't going to be able to print the pics anyways, so what's the point?

 

But seriously, it doesn't seem to me that buying a PDA has to escalate to a $600 purchase. The camera's not worth it anyways, and you can buy a $100 mp3 player that's just as good if you really want one.

 

Really, whether you buy a cheap one or an expensive one, you're going to want a new one in a few years. I think that the argument "I'll get something good, so that it lasts" is really not a good idea for buying technology, because no matter what you buy, it's not going to be "good" in a couple years.

 

It's better, imho, to buy something that meets your needs now, and then upgrade when it no longer meets your needs. You'll spend the same amount total, and always have something that you're happy with.

[Guest UWOMED2005]

Two points.

 

1) You don't need a PDA at all until clerkship begins. If you're in first year, by 3rd year PDAs might be 10X as fast and cheaper than chocolate bars.

 

2) Most PDAs are overpowered with useless gimmicks you will never use. How often do you think I actually use the mp3 player in my Tungsten E? nada. I don't feel comfortable bringing a PDA to the gym (theft, breakage, sweat) so I bring a dedicated mp3 player (actually a DAT with mp3s) instead. What quality of photos are you going to take with a PDA + camera? And do you really think you're going to be making movies with that thing? Do you know how much memory that takes? Is being able to make a 5 min movie really something you need? And how often do you think I've used the remote control feature on my palm pilot. Probably twice, and once was just to show off the fact I could use it.

 

The main function of most palm pilot gizmos is to show up the few people in your class who would be impressed by the fact you have an attachment that lets you control India's nuclear arsenal.

 

On the flip side, anything with 8 mb onboard memory is probably too underpowered for you to run enough med programs to satisfy you. 16 mb works fine, but you won't be able to install every single program on that burnt CD with pirated versions of every med program that will inevitably pass through your class.

 

I use a Tungsten E. It's about $299. At 32 mb onboard memory (plus a 256 mb expansion card) I've got way more power and memory than I need, but it's nice to have a bit of a buffer zone for the future.

[Guest avisee]

On the note of cameras, I think I'm honestly more interested in just being able to take random photos. I'm not really a huge fan of collecting photos I want to keep (evidence: in my cross-Canada trip this summer I finally finished off a film that I'd put in 3 years ago).

 

I would like a camera just for the fun photography one can take on a whim. Like remembering what a pair of glasses you'd tried on at Lenscrafters looked like VS the pair at Hakim. Or showing someone the squirrel wrestling you'd happened upon. Or remembering someone's face, or a place you'd been. I'm not a big fan of taking films and films of photos of my friends, and a lot of the stuff I capture is more often something I'd like to look at once again, to tell a story or to remind myself something, and then never again. So a low-quality digital camera is really all I'd need. But one that comes attached to a gadget I actually carry around with me, so it can be accessible when I actually need it, makes it that much more interesting.

 

On the topic of price, as I said, it's not actually 500 dollars, but it adds up. I'd looked into the Tungsten E, and yes, that is 299, but the one I'm interested in is only 390, and when you look at it that way, the difference is not much more. It's when you add the memory card for mp3s (arguably, neglibile), the hard case, the shipping and the tax, it's close to 600. But in the same scenario, the E is nearly 500.

 

I'm not looking to buy a palm because I think I will some day be a medical clerk. I'm looking to buy it because I like gadgets, I commute a lot, I'd like the ability to keep a lot more notes/writing in my agenda but it doesn't have the security I need (ie, password protection). The fact that I got gift money that I feel obligated to spend on one single purchase adds to the list, since there aren't many several-hundred dollar items I really feel I couldn't do without.