Palm Pilot: Perfect or Pointless?

COURTESY 3COM

It's 9:30 Monday morning, and York Yu, CC '02, walks confidently into his Chinese class, ready to face the day, week, or month - depending on which screen his Palm Pilot is currently displaying. Yu is one of many Yalies this year seen around campus carrying this curiously small piece of electronic equipment in their hands, stopping in the middle of Cross Campus to check which direction they should head in next and whipping the machine out at a moment's notice when they want to match that familiar face across the room with a name.

The Palm Pilot is, to some, the ultimate organizer. It has the capacity to remember thousands of contacts, notes, appointments, and financial transactions. It also can be connected to a computer to back up data or connect to e-mail. Another feature that must be mentioned is the added plus of downloadable games, which may come in handy during those Dilbertesque meetings. All this makes the Palm Pilot one of the hottest trends in corporate circles. In 1998, 1.3 million units of the device were sold. As of May this year, Palm Computing organizers dominated 73% of the U.S. personal companion market.

Though originally a corporate fad, Yale students, trying to manage their hectic college lives, are not far behind the trend. Dave Bresson, CC '01, a computing assistant, purchased one this June after finding himself swamped with homework, appointments, and other activities. As Bresson put it, "I simply love the thing. It helps me keep track of all the addresses and phone numbers I find myself having to remember." Yu agreed that the contact management was a very valuable feature.

Yet aside from these die-hard admirers of the Palm Pilot, a relatively large majority of the campus seems to be apathetic about this product. That is partly because the cheapest model of the Palm Pilot, the Palm IIIe, currently sells on the market for $229. The most advanced model, the Palm VII, which offers wireless Internet connection in selective areas, goes for $599. Yu, who sold Palm Pilots during the summer, noted that his customers included businessmen and even housewives, but few college students. "That's because to students it's still considered a luxury item," Yu said. Bresson offers another explanation. He said, "I think this is because despite their ease of use, they still seem kind of intimidating to non-technical people."

3Com, the maker of Palm Pilots, is trying to change this way of thinking. According to a spokesperson, 3Com is now making a large effort to attract the college population. Palm Pilots have just recently appeared in university bookstores, and recently 3Com introduced a web page especially devoted to students. On its web page is a section specifically devoted to student testimonials with such eye-catching titles as, "Well-Armed Student, " "Passed Exam," and "Likes School," all intended to attract the attention and interest of the disorganized student.

Following the footsteps of the highly successful iMac campaign, which focused on the company's colorful desktops and laptops, Palm IIIe's now come in an attractive new shape with flip covers in the colors blue, lime, and aqua. There are also accessories designed with the college student in mind. The new Palm Glove carrying cases are rugged and durable for the wear and tear of everyday college life. As the spokesperson explained, college students are constantly on the move, changing residences and phone numbers on a yearly basis. With a dramatic increase in the appearance of cellular phones and pagers among college students, owning a personal organizer is simply the next logical step.

In July of this year, 3Com introduced its Palm IIIe model in an effort to attract the cash-strapped college market. "With the Palm IIIe product, we hope to delight a broader segment of users who are new to Palm Computing organizers and who will appreciate the value of the Palm Computing organizer's world-renowned ease-of-use at an extremely affordable price," proclaimed Byron Connell, director of product marketing for Palm Computing.

As for now, most students at Yale seem to be content with more traditional ways of recording information. Haroon Sethi, TC '03, said, "I just prefer paper and pencil. It's the safest way of writing things down. I don't really trust electronics as much."

Another freshman who did not wish to be identified added, "I like my yellow Post-it notes because when I write something down, I can stick it on the wall. Can a Palm Pilot do that?"

Casey Lee, TC '03, sayid that he would be happy to use Palm Pilots because they are "really cool," but not until the price becomes more affordable to college students.

For many, breaking with daily routine is hard. And while the traditional methods of daily organization and communication may work for most Yalies for now, for those who are more technology-friendly, more willing to open their pocket books, or simply busier than the ordinary college student, the Palm Pilot has become a saving grace.

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