Really?

[sexilizzie2012]

Grieve on, I'm there too.
If that Aceeca will ever get here, maybe I'll be able to recapture some old memories.
It's sad that after all this time, everything gets unfavorably compared to the Palms. Was perusing another thread in which Antoine Wright was advising a former Palm user that he (or she?) wasn't going to find anything current that is as easy to use.
Still don't understand why the manufacturers don't "get it."
I believe it was Columbus who said "Once it's been done, anybody can do it."

Guess I could scuffle around and find a used Treo somewhere.......

[punkbunny77]

Yeah, it does seem that the "new capabilities" seem to have added a level of complexity to the interface in some ways. Since 90% of those "new capabilities" are things for which I have no use and less interest, the result is less and less general usefulness of the devices for me.

So, ummm... You're not going to be running AutoCad on your handheld device, LS? (I'm seriously shocked that you'd try it on a 15" monitor, actually - When I did CAD work ~15 years ago, I had a 21" monitor. 15 years ago! )

As for email: Very little of the things I get by email could be handled or answered simply with a quick 2 line reply. Most require some sort of analysis, or at least data checking, frequently from multiple sources, so that's of little use to me. No point in replying, "I'll get back to you later," either - They'll be waiting either way. No point in loading up everybody's inboxes just to tell them nothing. Anything that can be handled quickly and simply in my world can be done more quickly and simply with a text message.

[samberini]

Let's just say CAD is do-able on the 15" screen but way less than ideal, as you know.
What I can do with email in the field is pretty much what I can do with voice calls. Respond to clients in a timely manner, take names and numbers and other bits of short info. If they send attachments, like pdfs of deeds or maps, I really can't do a lot with them until I get back to the office. We've got records that go back into the 50's and I still have clients that call asking for "the old man" (my dad), even though I'm 51. Bottom line: I need access to my map records plus the sites, such GIS records, that ain't gonna run on a playing card sized screen.
The smartphone is only an extension of, not replacement for, my office.

[mstrahle25]

I don't even like taking calls from Customers when not at my desk with all of my info at hand - If I'm elsewhere in the building, I have them put on hold until I can dash back to my office and be prepared. Then again, most of those types of calls occur when there's an "issue" (real or perceived,) and a quick "I'll get back to you" won't cut it. Just a different environment. Most of the info I need to get is more easily emailed, either as text data or as a digital pic, either of which then requires more investigation / analysis using a variety of sources. The mobile approach to such things simply doesn't work well for my needs.

[Lucifer In Tears]

I can easily be miles from my office. My work is as much about the field as it is the office. It's not uncommon. A lot of people in my business consist just of the surveyor and one assistant. They normally leave the answering machine on during the day with a message to call his cell number. People seem to be used to that. So they do their outdoor thing and answer their messages late in the afternoons.