The Unwired Rabbi

My mobile computing needs have changed quite a bit since I first wrote for Pocket PC magazine (www.PocketPCmag.com/July00/pocket_rabbi.htm). Then, I moved around a lot. Now I spend most of my time in an office. Then, I used an HP Jornada Handheld PC. Now, I carry a Toshiba e740 Pocket PC.

After years, I finally switch from the HP Jornada 680 Handheld PC to the Toshiba e740 Pocket PC (above).

Three years ago I did a lot of my work away from the office: across town or in another city. If I waited until I got back to the office to answer e-mail or compose documents, I'd be hopelessly behind. I needed to take a mobile computer with me, it had to be small, and since most of the work was text-intensive, I needed a keyboard. An HP ornada 680 Handheld PC served me well for years. But about four months ago it started to fail. I needed something new.

I initially considered a new HP Handheld PC, but decided against it. HP was discontinuing the Jornada Handheld PC line, but more importantly, I no longer had the same need for a keyboard.

After researching Pocket PCs using Pocket PC magazine's online Buyer's Guide (www.PocketPCmag.com/bg2003/buyersintro.asp), I decided to purchase the Toshiba e740 Pocket PC. I paid $550 for the e740, an extra power adapter for my home, a car power adapter, and a three-year extended warranty. The e740 had a decent battery life, a replaceable battery, two card slots (one CF and one Secure Digital), and built-in wireless LAN capability. It looked like a device that would last me for a few years, and I decided that these features were worth the expense.

[Note: A review of the Toshiba e740 was published in the November, 2002 issue of Pocket PC magazine, online at: www.PocketPCmag.com/Nov02/e740.asp. Toshiba has since discontinued the e740, replacing it with the e750 series. The new device has a slightly larger screen, upgraded processor, and more internal memory, but is otherwise similar to the e740. A review of the e755 was published in the September 2003 issue, online at www.PocketPCmag.com/sep03/e755.asp.]

Making the switch

TThe Pocket PC user interface is different than the UI found on the Handheld PC. The latter is more similar to the UI found on a Windows desktop PC. It took me a little while to get used to the Pocket PC UI. For example, the cut and paste feature was a challenge to conceptualize at first. On the H/PC and on desktop PCs, you highlight a word or phrase you want to cut and press the Ctrl-X keys (or select Cut from the drop-down Edit menu). On the Pocket PC, you highlight the word or phrase and hold down on it with your stylus. Then you select the Cut option from the pop-up menu (Screen 1). I also had to get used to navigating without a mouse or keyboard.

Screen 1: I had to get used to the Pocket PC's edit menu, which pops up when you hold the stylus down on the screen.

The biggest challenge was learning to enter text without the aid of a keyboard. In my current position I do not have the same need for heavy text input. I've found that a combination of the built-in soft keyboard, Microsoft Transcriber, and PDA Mill's Topkey program (www.pdamill.com; Screen 2) gets the job done, even though not as easily as with a real keyboard.