Bad Timing, Bad Money, Bad Attitude

Suddenly, buying a Treo 650 was a no-brainer for me. After using it for a few weeks, I've been busy creating a large flat spot above my eyes where I keep smacking myself in the head while saying, "Jeez, why didn't I do this before?!"

Some important reasons for the flat spot are that four devices became one. I know that for those of you who aren't real estate agents or don't use another infrared device that can be replaced by a Treo, that would probably be three devices, but it is still a win by any measure. Second, the Treo 650 not only works, it works well, especially because adding a keyboard to a Palm-driven device vastly improves the business of using it.

Probably the best example I can give is looking up a phone number. I was never more than "sort of good" at the stylus-driven Graffiti writing system used in traditional Palm machines, but trying to scribble something on the tiny writing screen while driving, or even while conversing in a restaurant, is damned near impossible for me. With the Treo, you need type only a few letters, often only two, to find the number you want. And by the way, every contact in my Outlook database is in my Treo, which means I no longer have to worry that I don't have someone's number who I need to call while out of the office.

The rest of the Treo works well, too. Much to my surprise, the Web browser can be useful, and having an active e-mail client while crossing San Francisco Bay on the ferry or leaving a meeting far from my desk and nowhere near an Internet connection is terrific. Adding the General Electric Supra Palm-based eKey system used for opening lockboxes gives me real estate capabilities so far beyond the traditional key-based system that I'm planning an article on it in SmartCompany.com for all you real estate agents out there.

At this point the only things I'm unhappy about are that I didn't do this sooner, and the resulting flat spot on my forehead, which has my wife a bit worried. And, by the way, it's nice to be using an industry standard that didn't come from the Pacific Northwest.