Fossil/Palm PDA Watch Reviewed

SLiK812 writes "Walt Mossberg of the Wall Street Journal has a pretty good review of Palm's and Fossil's new wrist PDA. We all knew some time ago that this was coming out, and was initially covered last November and briefly last month. This is the first review I've seen, and Mossberg does bring up some interesting points, both good and bad. Definitely worth the read before buying it."

the importance of good editing

[mblase]

...even in major newspapers. There are many interesting things about this watch/PDA I always wanted to know, but the fact that "The watches...come with a tiny stylus" is a little more personal than what I wanted to know.

My Plam Pilot is a real fossil

[packethead]

I have an original Palm Pilot. I should probably upgrade that some day.

This won't be a problem for this group!!

[scottcha+4]

And if you make a watch too large or weird-looking, the wearer can look so geeky that he may never get a date.

I LOVE MINE

[sulli]

The Fossil
wrist pda
is very co
nvenient i
f you dont

mind a ver
y small di
splay area
and a tiny
stylus.

But it is
so very st
ylish and
gets me la
id daily.

Don't RTFA, this sums it up

[goldspider]

"Fossil Watch Has Awkward PDA, But Comes With Cool Style Feature"

Summary: Functionally clumsy, but it looks cool!!

Company name change?

[Anonymous Coward]

"VA Linux" changed its name to "VA Software" when they started selling non-linux things.

So "palm" has to change its name to "bodypart" since they start selling things you don't use in your palm.

Best suited...

[gUmbi]

For those people who think that a calculator watch just isn't quite geeky enough.

Perfect for haiku

[mblase]

Fossil PDA:
Looks very
high-tech,
but it's
Super hard
to use.

Re:Don't RTFA, this sums it up

[xrayspx]

Summary: Functionally clumsy, but it looks cool!!

That watch is my polar opposite, it seems. (probably true of most geeks).

Sheesh...

[Psiren]

As it it wasn't hard enough to get a date, now they want me to strap a PDA to my wrist. Yeah, that'll reel 'em in...

Two handed use...

[jared_hanson]

I found entering text, and even accurately tapping on items on the screen, to be awkward and frustrating -- especially with the watch on my arm, but even when I removed it to hold it with both hands.

Yeah, I've always had the same problem with my regularly sized Palm. Whenever I hold it using both hands, it is damn near impossible to use the stylus with any accuracy, much less trying to write letters. However, I don't suspect Palm is going to fix this anytime soon. My inclination is that they will just wait for users to evolve a third hand. Even then, I suppose you will have people trying to hold their Palms with all three of their hands.

Does this somehow mean

[teamhasnoi]

that Flava-Flav will now hang an iBook around his neck?

Puhlease

[radiumhahn]

Palm pilot...$70
Palm pilot watch w/ almost no features...$300
Look on wife's face...priceless.

I actually have a use for this!

[pjack76]

It's for tennis. I'm going to program it to keep score/stats for me. After every point, I'll indicate whether I won or lost and why (eg, double-fault, forced error, unforced error, service winner, ace...) Then it can sync with my computer and over time I'll have in-depth statistics on my match, so I can compare myself to Agassi and see the precise scientific extent to which I suck. I'm assuming, of course, that I can actually program the thing. And that it's water resistant. Hm.

Re:shortcomings

[camusflage]

Imagine a hot girl at Starbucks asking you the time

This is slashdot. What makes you think most readers are capable of imagining CONVERSATION with a hot girl?

Re:Don't RTFA, this sums it up

[Yosemite Sue]

Summary: Functionally clumsy, but it looks cool!!

Ummm ... I don't think it even *looks* cool. I guess it's a bit more streamlined than those calculator watches ...

My summary (FWIW): Functionally clumsy, butt ugly.

YS.

Re:I can't imagine

[PD]

Eliza! Someone has hooked an Eliza program into Slashdot! Cool.

Re:World's Smallest Spam Whisked daily to your wri

[imnoteddy]

STYLUS-EN
LARGER!!!
add THREE
INCHES to
your styl

us!!

Re:Perfect for haiku

[Alien Being]

Fossil PDA
An ocean of circuitry
But what time is it?

Pssst!

[Mr. Bad Example]

Hey, buddy...wanna buy a Beowulf cluster of these?

Yeah, right.

[volpe]

For those people who think that a calculator watch just isn't quite geeky enough.

Uh huh. And the rest of us look like James Bond with our tri-corders clipped to our belts, right?