PDA suggestions anyone?

[mcovey]

I've got serious organization issues. I've been using a custom pocketmod organizer with some success lately, filled with lined pages, to-do pages and a week/month view calendar. I usually dump all my info for the few days that each one lasts into a text document and transfer what I need to the next one.

I'm getting tired of this system quickly and I want a place where I can just keep it all at once, the current and the old data I need to track.

Here are my criteria:
Must include to-do lists, day, week and month calendars, an address book, some way to create and edit text files freely (for example just random ideas that pop into my head), a backlit screen, and have auditory cues, such as beeping when an appointment comes up. I realize that most have all of those, except I'm not so sure about the auditory cues.

It must NOT have: mp3 player/media support. I will use those if it has them and those aren't things I can handle carrying around with me. Too distracting. A couple cheezy games is okay, but I don't want to be able to fit much more than text on it.

Lastly, it must be less than $120. With a nice carrying case and shipping, no more than $150.

Any suggestions? I was looking at the Palm Z22 and that seemed to have a lot of what I'm looking for, but I'm not sure about the alarm feature, it claims to have one but doesn't go into detail. The biggest failure of my current system is that I just forget to check it and appointments fly by.

[Richard_Todd]

I would think just about every PDA on the market will chirp or vibrate to tell you about appointments, so I don't think you should worry too much about finding one. 5 years ago the cheapest palm pilot on the market would do this.

It's about twice the price you mentioned, but since I'm typing I'll point out that I'm very happy with my Blackberry 8700c. It has everything you asked for, plus phone and email and web browsing. I'm also extremely fond of the google maps application, which means I am never lost.

I'm not sure what you mean about media support and games... if you don't want to use them, then simply... don't! But, electronics are so sophisticated now that most organizers will support a myriad of flashy features. I wouldn't rule them out just because they can do that stuff.

[Waiman]

I can't help you with the auditory part but i think Merlin Mann's Hipster PDA would be a good choice (even better if you're into GTD)

Introducing the Hipster PDA | 43 Folders

Its Lo-fi tho, so I'm not sure if it's your best option, try and see if you like it tho because it can have everything you need in your must have list (besides the auditory part). Oh yeah, the thing won't cost you a dime.

[rockstar]

I use HP iPaq rx1950

quite cheap for wm5-based pocketpc device, although still above your budget only a little bit. Here's my experience :

I thought I would just need something to keep my task and calendar with far greater flexibility than paper (I tried lots of system), but later I find myself attached to it very highly due to it's pc-ness. I use it to read a lot (pdf, html, text, words, etc..), watch casual videos and audios (interviews, non-highdef-required videos), and lots of little word and excell work. Worth every penny for me to the state I think I have paid too low for it . I still use the pim-feature of it but it really only small percentage of what it can do.

Oh yeah, about your feature-list, all covered.

[mcovey]

If I got something with diversions like a blackberry has, I'd need to be able to delete them completely from the system. I get distracted too easily, and I don't want to fall into the trap of what I've heard called the "crackberry." Anything more than organization features, I will use, and regret it. Bad self control I guess. However, thanks for the reassurance about the beeping.

Waiman - I am aware of the hipster PDA... right now I use the PocketMod, another paper-based solution. I have 4 pages of to-dos, one of week view, and one of month view (for planning ahead of course). I tend to load it up every day with notes to self about things and fold up a new one every morning. My to-do list is a totally seperate beast from my stuff-I-write-down list but they tend to get lumped into the same device, analog or digital.

rockstar - Thanks for the suggestion. I'll check that out, see if I can find one used. As long as I can somehow delete, permanently, things like a .doc reader, .pdf reader, .ppt, games, web browser, etc... things that will make it less of an organizer and more of a distraction, I'll be fine with it. So long as the diversions aren't right there just begging me to play with them.

And as much as I hate to admit/point it out on public channels, the reason that I can't handle the presence of the distractions is, I believe, my ADHD. (Clinically diagnosed, I don't just "say" I have it but never get treated. I'm on medicine). If anyone else here has that, you'll understand how difficult it is knowing that there are games in your pocket during that boring lecture... and you just have, have to sneak it out and play them, resulting in all sorts of bad things... my paper-"PDA" is already enough of a distraction... every 5 seconds I think of something new to write down. I just dump all the nonessential stuff onto my computer in the evening and refer to it occasionally, or tackle it immediately.

[Brutha]

And as much as I hate to admit/point it out on public channels, the reason that I can't handle the presence of the distractions is, I believe, my ADHD. (Clinically diagnosed, I don't just "say" I have it but never get treated. I'm on medicine). If anyone else here has that, you'll understand how difficult it is knowing that there are games in your pocket during that boring lecture...

You can simply deinstall the games.