Palm treo rant

OK, so work just gave me a new Palm Treo for my email on the move. I had an old Treo, which had been
bearable, if somewhat ageing, so was happy to get a like for like. But it isn't.

What ever possessed Palm to shrink the stylus to be shorter than my thumb whilst at the same time making the buttons and screen harder to use? I have very small hands, so never expected this to be an issue. This is surely madness to play with a design so much that it gets worse not better? Yes its thinner, but the thickness wasn't an issue really. To try and compare this to my personal iphone is like trying to compare a goat to a horse when all you want is something to ride to the market. And the goat analogy can continue as the phone is stubborn (wont recognise button presses), awkward (took me an age to get the stylus out before realising its length) but looks good.

When will gadget designers realise that as gadgets become more common, people who aren't young, able bodied, healthy American males or Japanese school girls, use them too? And the 99% of the population who fit into this demographic have long memories when they start to dislike a manufacturer. I had a Palm in the glory days - before windows. It was so far ahead of the game; slick, fast, and easy to use. Each successive version has been worse than the previous one, and I now pray to whatever deity you choose that I will never have another one again. In fact I am talking to my managers about its lack of accessibility to try and get rid of this one.

A cute laptop trolley bag

It may not look it from the photo, but this is actually a very nice looking laptop bag. After giving up taking even my UMPC into work as it weighed too much I started to look for a trolley bag, but the UK offerings were either hideous, manly or way too expensive! I waited until l I got to the airport and found the cutest one I have seen, for about £100. Admittedly this isn't cheap, but no back pain and style at the same time aren't easy to find, so I thought I would show it to you anyway. I have linked the pic to the only place I could find it, their site being down, lets hope this sort of thing starts to reach our own shores very soon.

A new Mouse?

I find I can no longer use a "normal" mouse - too much movement on my shoulder out to the side, really flares up my fibromyalgia in my neck and back. However my work means that a trackball is no good either - not enough accuracy and speed unless you spend a fortune! So heres the compromise I found - a rolling bar that can be clicked down and used by either hand. Its worth it just to see the look on the faces of people who try to jump on my PC :)

The Yoropen

The Yoropen is great if you struggle to write due to the pressure needed for a "normal" pen. The odd bent shape really works well and helps out with hand wrist and shoulder issues if you have a lot to write. The basic pens, pencils and coloured pencils are sold in WH Smiths, or you can order something more flash like the executive range online. I recommend the executive one if you prefer a bit more weight to your pen. The odd shape also makes it good for left handed people too. An even weirder option that I didnt really get on with was the Pen Again, but then you have to try and find whats best for you.