[MOS19K]

I briefly mentioned the use of a PDA on another thread, I thought it merited a thread of it's own.

Many folks have a PDA of some sort that they use to store telephone numbers and addresses, perhaps put in important dates, in general use it as an organizer. It can be used for a lot more. The type that I have can use external memory chips, SD are the format mine uses. These chips come in various sizes up to 2 gigs, I think 4 and 8 gigs are coming out now. Imagine the amount of information you can store on just one chip. I use mine to store copies of all my important documents, family pictures, manuals, books, music. Think about all the survival books and pamphlets that you've collected over the years, have them scanned and store them on a chip. All that information can be easily accessed from your small handheld PDA. You can even get a solar battery charger to keep it running.

This is not a replacement for your hard copies, this is a back up. Just another tool that you might find useful.

 

[Bill-Rube]

Hadn't really thought about that....makes plenty of sense, though.

 

[Makist]

They are definitely handy for keeping large quantities of data close by. I don't go anywhere without my Dell Axim 51v or Kahr PM40. Fortunately the Axim sees more use .

SD cards have been available in 8GB for some time now. Just be sure that you maintain a back up somewhere, nothing sadder than having 8 gig of your life just disappear if the card takes a crap.

 

[AZshooter]

I've had several PDA's over the past 10+ years. They are great for hauling around large quantities of info. Problem is that you come to rely on them. Another problem is that EVERY ONE of them seems to have an expiration date, where they magically crap out after a few years & lose all the data you have come to be unable to live without. Daily Up/Downloads to/from your PC soon become a PITA, and by the time your batteries die, your model of PDA is long out of production & the OEM battery is either expensive or unavailable.

 

[RuralTurtle]

Roger that, PDAs are great for keeping a trainload of data handy. A card full of PDFs is a good thing in many situations. I've found PDAs with wifi browsing very useful when "on the road."

AZshooter does make a good point, though. They all seem to cr*p out eventually. Backup to a desktop at least once a week has to be SOP.

 

[BeSwift]

There are some less expensive MP3 players out there with storage capability, that take AAA batteries. A good option, rather than relying on the internal rechargeable type that crap out and go obsolete. Not quite a PDA but a good alternative for critical data.... BeSwift