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HARDWARE
There's no doubt that the StarTAC ClipOn Organizer is a great tool: It is, after all, a PDA and 800-MHz phone in one. And with 512K of RAM, the organizer holds plenty of contacts, memos, and to-dos. It lets you pick a phone number from your address book and dial it automatically. Plus, you can rather painlessly synch the device with a desktop PC. All this, and it weighs less than 7 ounces. So why am I not in hog heaven?
My biggest gripe with the StarTAC ClipOn - brainchild of Motorola and Starfish Software - is that it doesn't really free me from my desktop. To effectively manage my calendar or datebook, I still need to make changes on my PC and then synch. The organizer lets me edit the calendar or addresses, but I have to navigate a cumbersome scrollable keyboard. I wasn't nearly proficient enough to make this hunt-and-peck method more sensible than just picking up a good ol' pen and spiral-bound address book.
Still, it's easy to imagine uses for the device: I'm rushing off to a meeting with another Valley VC. My personal assistant hands me a fully charged and updated StarTAC. I jump into the Boxster, where I glance at the organizer to find the address of Mr. Big Money. If I lose my way, I just hit the phone icon and Mr. Money's assistant is on the line, giving me detailed directions. Back at the office after the meeting, I hand my assistant the stack of cards I got from the networking adventure, knowing the next time I head out my StarTAC will be ready, willing, and able.
Unfortunately for Motorola, I, like many Valley professionals, handle my own schedule and Rolodex. For me, the biggest benefit of this new gadget is knowing I'll never have to dial another number while maneuvering through traffic ... provided I've recently synched.
StarTAC ClipOn Organizer: $250. Motorola and Starfish Software: (800) 331 6456, www.motorola.com.
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