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Are PDAs obsolete? And "Re: PDA vs books"

This is a response to the post "PDA vs Books" by Idiomdrottning.

Read the original text at:

gemini://idiomdrottning.org/pda-vs-books

Let me start by quoting an interesting point of view from the article linked above:

Ultimately, as far as I understand it, the primary purposes of using a PDA instead of modern stuff is:

* nostalgia (or the “nostalgia for what you missed”, which I totally get)

* hipster/weirdo cred (having a “unique thing”, like “cyberdecks” a few months ago)

* a psychological hack to find inner peace

To which I agree, but I would also add

"* a specialized tool as a means of resistance against the current status quo".

I don't use a PDA (as a PalmOS or PocketPC), but rather an even more obsolete, boring and sub-optimal device. I use an "electronic organizer". Yes, that gadget that looks like a glorified calculator, with a liquid crystal display, monochrome screen, specifically the one in the image below:

Electronic Organizer Casio SF-4000 (10.9Kb, PNG, 500x482)

Now, you might ask: "But, why on hell would you use such an old device? You cannot read books, you cannot synchronize to a PC, you cannot write emails, you cannot..."

And I answer: "Yes, you are correct. Luckily, I cannot do any of these, so I am free, I am aware, and I am present."

A PDA is not a device to read books, but a device to organize stuff, hence the name "Personal Digital Assistant". As I see things, nowadays we are tied to our smartphones for a large number of mundane tasks. A phone is a jack of all trades, and that is good and bad.

An electronic organizer is a highly specialized device that was designed with a sole purpose in mind: keep track of your schedule without a fuss. This means:

It is incredibly responsive, simple and effective: you press the On/Off switch and the device comes alive in less than a second, ready for you to check your schedule, phone numbers, notes or whatever. Each hardware button serves a single purpose and does that function immediately and perfectly, without clutter or extra fluff.

They are small, lightweight and extremely cheap.

There is no need to synchronize, keep backups, bugs, updates, etc. The device is always with you. You can check your schedule from the device itself, there is no need to synchronize with a computer, no need to update, no strange bugs.

The device will be sitting there, ready and waiting for you. He (it) is the one following your commands. They usually don't ring an alarm for each event, you must be aware of the time, and check your next scheduled event. A smartphone inverts the role: you just sit there and wait for the command of your phone, until the event rings an alarm for you to follow instructions.

The batteries last literally for months and are reliable to the end. This is reduced to one or two weeks with an average PDA, and further reduced to a single day with a smarphone. More often than not, my smartphone run out of battery in the moments where I needed it the most.

Additionally, using a simple electronic organizer allows you to be aware of your life and surroundings. Let me explain: with a phone you are always being distracted with something, or there is the potential of being distracted, there is always something going on.

It is the same as someone who loves reading could totally understand the difference between reading from a (e)book vs reading from a tablet or phone, and it is not about peace of mind, but more about focusing all your attention and energy in one single tasks without background noise or reminders.

I believe that devices such as ebooks, PDAs or electronic organizers are humanizing items, while a tablet or smartphone is a de-humanizing machine.

For that reason, any of the other devices are now, more than ever, a needed item in our current decadent society, and not only a nostalgic, hipster's or inner peace gadget.