Handspring Visor vs ?

[sanyd]

Looking for a PDA for my 13 yr old for taking notes, etc. I can get the Handspring Visor shipped with the 40 off coupon for $110, but would the visor be a good choice?
Thanks for any advice,
Sanya

[hapoo]

the visors a great pda, but for a 13 year old?? I highly recomend you get insurance for it, kids tend to lose/break these very often.

dont know if your kids school is endorsing use of pdas but my high school uses palm iiix. i would suggest that unless the m100 comes in a 8 mb version, cuz you know (s)hes gonna be buggin that it doesnt have enough memory (when you ask why they wont tell you that its for the games, i know from experience i sold my ti-83 to get a ti-83plus cuz it got more memory). dont know prices on microsoft pdas, but i hear you might be able to find some good incentives on those.
oh yeah, wait till after xmas, retailers are stacking up on pdas right now for xmas rush, but if they dont sell as good as they hope, theyll have some ok deals. just heard some reports on slowing expectations for xmas rush.

[spigidygak]

I would recommend going with a palm model, not the m100 though. And stay away from handsprings, kinda cheapy case. . . could be easily breakable for a 13 year-old. And most of all, stay away from windows ce devices like the plague, big POS. Don't get me started in the numerous reasons how M$ has yet another crappy os out there. I'd go with a iiix or iii, depending how much you want to spend for memory.

id have to agree with spigidygak, but more for adults, palm/sony is the best out there by far, but for a kid, depending on price, you may want to consider the ms pda. i mean thier not really gonna use it forever and by the - what the hell am i talking about. the kid is 13, they dont need a pda, a pencil and notebook is so much better. thank you hapoo, didnt know what i was thinking


p.s. you can argue with me all you want on the fact that sony is or isnt the best pda, but i dont care. as soon as the next one comes out im getting it. just one more sony thing i carry around with me all day long.

[Edited by TommyBoomfiger on 11-24-2000 at 08:10 PM]

[sanyd]

With respect I ask....why not a 13 yr old? Curious as to your reasons. Not looking for flames or am i flaming..just curious.
My 13 yr old is a straight A student and a teacher appointed peer mediator for his 7th grade class. Unlike his mother:-), he loves to be organized (sometimes to the extreme). But like me, he loves gadgets and anything that makes life easier or just more fun.
Not that I need to justify my purchase(or possible purchase), but I am wondering if my perspective is a bit off here. Its been known to happen..LOL.

Happy Holidays

[hapoo]

not at all, i'd love a palm too if i were his age; and i dont think anyone is complaining. I just dont think that the school is a good environment for such an expensive and sensative gadget. Its not your kid i'm concerned about its the other students.

[sbp]

/me steals hapoo's palm just for fun. http://www.geocities.com/sbp7777/KiddieSmile.gif

[Edited by sbp on 11-24-2000 at 11:50 PM]

[sbp]

A picture of happo crying on the ground after this event: http://www.geocities.com/sbp7777/cryingboy.jpg

here's some sound effects to go along with this: http://www.geocities.com/sbp7777/kidcry1.wav

i have seen the palm iii integrated into a school curriculum (my old high school gave teachers the option to intregrate them into the curriculum, bast@rd had to wait till i left to do everything good). now, i will admit, i would have loved one in class, but i think 13 is too young for that equipment. this is my personal belief, given the choice i would have jumped at the chance to grab one at 13.
its totally youre choice to get it for him. from a still almost a kid point of view, i say get it for him (he'll be the envy of all his friends, what can i say, palms are bad). from an almost adult pov, i say dont get it for the chance of theft or breakage (mostly theft. but remember, a palm (iii, v, vii) is for the business exec in mind, not a teenager. i.e. not built to last ruff and tuff years).

im still in contact with some of my teachers from hs and could find out by tuesday what thier students experiences are with them for you.also, i have an early article i can post or email about the implementation of the palm iii into the school, but this is high school not jr high.
the choice is yours, im not a parent so i cant even have any idea of what you think about when makeing decisions for your kids.
remember those old organizers called wizards (i think they were made by franklin, not sure), i remember they were expensive and when a kid came to school with one they were cool, but it was completely pointless to have something like that for a 12 year old. i mean how many notes, appointments and numbers can they have. dont know if you have used a palm, but they are hard to write in (for a while anyway). but something i found much more useful in my senior year in hs and so far in college is the cross crosspad: http://www.cross.com/cross/pcg.html. i love it. its much more functional, i feel, in taking, organizing and backing up notes. although this technology has not caught on and may be still at a premium, the old model has been discontinued and may be reduced in price (its still supported). i cant say how much i love it, but it still may not be for your son.
hope i helped and not confused you.

[hapoo]

good thing thats not me sbp, My name is Hapoo :P

[sbp]

{no link or picture provided since it would be removed by GAM}

[sbp]

"By the way people are always calling me spb but you don't see me complaining about this," complained sbp.

[chrissy]

I think a PDA would be great for a kid.
But Vtech makes one for kids. It even has a digital camera built in.

http://www.vtechkids.com/html2/g_phusion.html

Also, you can get the casio's at walmart for under 100 if you want to get something 'more adult' for your kid.

But that is just my .02

[Edited by crabbie on 11-25-2000 at 12:28 AM]

I talked to one of my teachers who implemented the palm in his class. he wasnt too excited about it, nor did he think it was a bad idea.
On a positive note he said it was an excellent tool for taking homework assignments or jotting down a quick reminder. also the school is going to set up a system where they will be able to sync the palm with the class so they can all download the same material (dont have any details on how yet).

On the other hand, there are some things he didnt like about them:
1) Its not easy to write lots of notes.
2) a few students have crushed the lcd in thier backpacks (easily solved by a hard case).
3) there have been a few thefts (all unsolved).
4) games (i personnaly dont have a problem with this, but teachers are getting fed up with kids playing games in class. they are discussing a plan to "discourage" students from playing by confiscating pdas for the day. dont you love technology :).

This is strictly a teachers point of view. hope it helps your decision

~ToMMy