Older is often better. While everyone scrambles around to get the latest, smallest PDA’s, I’ve virtually gone back in time. In my quest to organize my life and keep track of my business contacts and telecommuting, I found an NEC Mobilepro 780 handheld computer, a sweet, piece of technology, while surfing eBay. The large keyboard, nearly full-size, attracted me. Hey, it’s small but I can actually type on it. And the screen is large enough for me to see most of my documents without squinting. I paid about $100 for my NEC. Yes. It’s a bit scratched, the case has seen better days, but the sheer usability of it has help me overcome any hangups I had about cosmetic flaws. This machine is perfect for keeping up with my work at home jobs.
I dug up old press release online, stating that the Mobilepro was recently launched in the year 2000. At that time, it cost about $800. NEC doesn’t make the 780s now, but they are sold by resellers. There are newer, and probably fancier handhelds on the market now, but my 780 is just fine with me. The Mobilepro weighs 1.7 pounds, and some of the standard software for the NEC includes word processing, e-mail, presentation, and contact management software. The Microsoft Windows CE operating system is installed on it. There is also a built-in tape recorder, which didn’t work very well when I tried it. I had to hold the unit right up to my mouth and speak into it. That’s not good for recording meetings. My unit was refurbished, so I’m not sure if all NEC Mobilepros have less than stellar recorders. There is no mouse, of course. The handheld works with a touch screen, a stylus came with it. It has 24 Mg of ROM and 32 Mg of RAM. There is a built-in modem.
Marketed for mobile users, such as salespeople, I can type articles and other documents on the go without getting finger cramps. It’s great when I get a bit of inspiration for my blog, or if I want to key in some notes. Be forewarned, it does not work in the sunlight. I can’t see what’s on the color screen if I try to read something while I’m outside. On the bright side, I particularly like the calendar and the phone contact list. This handheld has helped me organize my full-time job responsibilities and home work at home responsibilities. I list personal and business tasks in the “To Do List” and schedule meetings in the calendar. Sometimes I set the alarm to go off for the pop-up reminder messages. The contact list allows me to type in actual notes about people in the list so I can keep track of my conversations with business contacts. Whenever I take my NEC to meetings, people usually ask me for a demonstration. They think that it’s new, and they are surprised at the cost. In fact, when I showed up to work with it, my supervisor was so impressed that she ordered one for herself. The unit is small enough to keep in my purse, and the batteries last for at least a day before I have to re-charge. The handheld has wireless capabilities and could be synchronized with a desktop or a laptop computer. The Mobilepro has its fans.
Posted by Claudine in Make Money at Home