Don’t count low-tech out

Attention, PalmPilot-philes! Listen up, laptop lovers!

Think technology is the coolest traveling companion? Just a second. Take a reality check and you might be surprised to find that both systems have an obvious, and serious, rival.

The daytimer.

Go ahead, laugh. The decidedly low-tech daytimer may look as out of place in your attaché case or carry-on as a propeller on the nose of a Concorde. But it works.

For the last month, I’ve been traveling with all three. The folks at PalmPilot lent me a Palm III. I also hauled my own Macintosh PowerBook 3400c. And I took my daytimer – nothing more than a collection of loose papers, a pad, and print-outs of my schedule.

Keep an open mind here. Disregard all of the stories you might have read in your favorite business magazine extolling the virtues of the digital assistant or the notebook computer. If you need one good reason, try asking yourself what the ratio of computer ads to daytimer ads are in those glossy magazines. Think about it. The tech manufacturers are practically subsidizing the magazine’s operating costs.

Like every business traveler, I carry at least one of the three choices on the road for a couple of reasons.

I want to access my schedule quickly. Flight numbers, confirmation codes, and appointments, for example. I need to find addresses and phone numbers fast. I also have to check e-mail while I’m on the road, compose letters and stories, and send an occasional fax.

Here’s what I found:

OPTION 1 — The daytimer

Cost: about $20. Available at any decent book store.

GOOD: You don’t have to turn it on. Once you’ve found the daytimer, you open it to the right page and get the information you need. Want to change something? Use a pen or a pencil, which actually writes what you want. No fancy character recognition software, no special pens, no batteries needed. Deleting is pretty easy, too. Just tear the page out and throw it away. Concerned about security? Shred the paper into tiny pieces, or for a truly high-tech solution, find a paper shredder á la Ollie North. A daytimer is also very easy to read. You could open it to a page with directions and peruse them as you’re driving to your destination, which is something I wouldn’t try on a computer.

BAD: It doesn’t store a lot of information, and the small amount of data isn’t readily transferable to your computer, nor is it searchable to the same extend that it is on a Pilot or laptop. It doesn’t fax or send e-mail either.

OPTION 2 — The laptop computer

Cost: about $3000. Available at any computer store.

GOOD: You can take all of your work with you. Not only are you able to store every document you’ve ever created, but you can send e-mail, faxes and compose letters from a portable computer. Most notebook-size models come with large color screens, meaning that they’re just as easy to read as the big computer you’ve got sitting on your desk. And in most cases, the portables are light and have reasonable battery lives.

BAD: Most laptops remain too cumbersome to offer the true portability they promise. My PowerBook is too klunky to take out of its case on a flight, not to mention at the airport when I need to check my schedule at a moment’s notice. I’m also worried about security. How do you protect a laptop from theft, short of carrying it with you everywhere you go? Add an extra battery, a small printer and a few cables, and the carrying case gets h-e-a-v-y. I don’t like having to choose between lugging the computer around or losing it.

OPTION 3 — The personal digital assistant

Cost: about $400. Available at most computer stores.

GOOD: The Palm III from 3Com (800) 881-7256 has gotten a lot of ink as the category-killer PDA, so for simplicity’s sake, I’m limiting my comments to it. The Palm III is small and very portable. It easily stored all of my addresses and appointments. Synchronizing my Mac with the Palm was a cinch; the software and connections worked flawlessly the first time. The available applications, like the calculator, electronic daytimer and address book, are extremely easy to use.

BAD: Entering or changing data is tedious. Learning its special graffiti is no easy task. The makeshift keyboard — which lets you tap the correct key with a pen — is difficult to use. The screen is small and difficult to read. Exchanging data between the Pilot and my PowerBook wasn’t an entirely positive experience. Some information got lost in the process, probably because the Mac software is written for older Palm Pilots. So if you’re going to use one of 3Com’s PDAs, better get a PC.

As I toggled between Pilot, daytimer and PowerBook on a recent trip, I came to the conclusion that there’s no ideal traveling companion. Instead, a smart combination of technology and common sense can do the trick.

My preference is a daytimer and laptop. I use the portable for serious work in my hotel room and carry print-outs of my schedule and need-to-know addresses in my daytimer. Whenever I need a name in a hurry, I page through my daytimer. If I have to send a fax, I open my laptop and find the nearest phone socket.

What about the PalmPilot?

I really liked the Palm III because it nearly bridges that gap between the daytimer and the laptop. In time, I think it might render both obsolete. However, that time hasn’t come yet. 3Com has to find a better way to enter data on the Palm, maybe through some kind of a speech interface, before the gadget catches on. Its screens need a little work, too. Until then, the proverbial odd man out is the PDA, because it’s one evolutionary step below the portable computer and several notches under the tried-and-true daytimer.

But stay tuned. In a few months, everything might change – again.

Christopher Elliott is the author of Scammed: How to Save Your Money and Find Better Service in a World of Schemes, Swindles, and Shady Deals. Critics have called it “eye-opening” and “inspiring” — it’ll “grab your attention and won’t let go.” Order your copy now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble or iTunes.

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