In 1991, our company launched The HP Palmtop Paper, a magazine devoted to users of the HP LX family of Palmtop PCs. The original HP 95LX was a DOS clamshell handheld with Lotus 1-2-3, a powerful HP calculator, a great database program, a basic word processor, and a PIM suite all built-in. You can still read any of the magazine's nine year's worth of articles and even purchase a refurbished HP 200LX at palmtoppaper.com.
Portable storage makes handhelds a different machine
In our November 1992 issue of The HP Palmtop Paper, I wrote my first article about flash storage: "SUNDISK Lets You Store 10-20 Megabytes on a Memory CardNo Batteries Needed!"
The Sundisk Flash Memory Card. Sundisk later changed its name to "Sandisk."
The 10 MB PCMCIA card was the size of a thick credit card and came with compression software that doubled its capacity. It retailed for $1000! The HP 95LX with the 10MB card could now store 25 times more data and program files, thus dramatically increasing its utility.
Kingston recently sent me a $75, 4 GB microSDHC Memory Card, which is about the size of your fingernail. The Kingston card is about 1/26 the size, has 400 times the storage capacity, and costs 13% of the price of the 1992 breakthrough storage card! Just as the original Sundisk card made the 95LX a new machine, the 4 GB microSD card allows users to access music, video photos, and more on their smartphone.
The Kingston microSDHC memory card with SD and Minicard adapters.
The evolving PDA
I used the HP 200LX for eight years. Thanks to built-in software, removable 2 AA batteries, the clamshell design, a useable keyboard with numeric keypad, and many available DOS applications, it was one of my all-time favorite devices.
However, times changed. The first Windows CE unit I regularly used was the HP Jornada 820. With instant on, a terrific keyboard, and long battery life, it made for a great mini-notebook. Later I gravitated to the HP Jornada 720 and NEC MobilePro 900 handhelds, both advertised in this issue as part of our UsedHandhelds.com store.
From 2002-06 I used a series of HP Pocket PCs, starting with the Jornada 540 and the Jornada 560 with its flip top case, later graduating to the HP iPAQ 2200 and 2750. Finally, lured by a VGA screen, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, lots of built-in memory, and SD and CF slots, I switched to the now-discontinued Dell Axim X51v, which I still use. My next Pocket PC will be the yet to be released HP iPAQ 200, with its gorgeous 4-inch VGA screen, lots of memory expandability, and Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
What made Pocket PCs ultimately more useful and enjoyable then my HP Palmtop was its ability to play music and video and the ability to connect to my e-mail and the Web through Wi-Fi.
It's a phone
Like many of our long-term subscribers, I have been slow to embrace the current reality: handheld computers are now sold as phones. From a business perspective, Microsoft's change of focus from a PDA to a phone is a no-brainer. The PDA market is a niche market, while everyone needs and knows how to use a phone. Therefore, Windows Mobile devices are now designed as a phone first with e-mail and Web browsing capabilities. Other PDA functionality remains, but it is often secondary. Consequently, we see many thin, lightweight devices with numeric keypads and small screens. More than anything, I miss the larger PDA screen, which is not found on most smartphones.
My experience as a smartphone user
Even given the magazine's roots in the handheld space, it's still a little embarrassing to admit, as owner of this magazine, that I have little use for a cell phone. I can't even get reception in my home outside a small town in rural Iowa.
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