On Thu, 16 May 2002, Peter Crowther wrote:

> > From: Aaron J Reichow [mailto:reic0024 at d.umn.edu] 
> > Do most people just want tiny iPAQ-sized (but
> > thinner and lighter) devices to do their scheduling?
> 
> A number of people wonder why I carry anything as *large* as an iPAQ around
> with me, when they want something truly 'pocket-sized'.

You need bigger pockets.

>  As always, it's a
> compromise.  If I had seamless communication (and infinite money :-), I'd go
> for a smaller-than-Palm system for pure scheduling and contacts

Last weekend I saw a...er....palm watch. It was neat.

> (might even
> be on a phone), plus a monster laptop with the largest screen I could find
> (the new 15" screens are *starting* to be in the right ballpark), plus...
> oh, there's that gap in the middle again.  I'd love to say that I'd have
> something paperback-sized, but it's a pain in the neck to carry.

Not compared to the laptop :)

>  I have a
> backpack for my laptop (which also carries the rest of my support stuff).
> The PDA fits in my pocket (just, in the case of an iPAQ :-).  But what do I
> do with this thing that gets lost in a backpack but is too large for a
> pocket?  

I routinely carry paperback books in my pocket :) My newt (espeically with
case) didn't fit, but I either 1) put it in the front pouch of my back
pack, or 2) had a special pouch for it (some poeple used these modified
thigh holsters...)

Or I carryit by hand.

> How do I carry it in my car, given that I sometimes drive in areas
> where people may smash windows and grab obvious valuables?

Under the seat?

>  Where do I put
> this device when I'm walking to a train?  And so on.

I think all this is secondary. Really. If these issues dominate, then a
"Bijan Sized(TM)" tablet is not for you. My experience is that it's the
minimum size to be nice for serious writing and that that size is so much
more convenient than a laptop that its a big win.

Just getting into the 1-2lb range (with keyboard) improves things a lot.

(And of course, you always need big, and preferably *deep*, pockets :))

Cheers,
Bijan Parsia.