Portability

At the size of just a small, albeit thick, notepad, it can store as much data as a handwritten book of 10,000 pages or more. What is it?

The wonders of technology have made this possible. Without a doubt, a PDA phone wins at data storage and portability. It can store an unsurpassed amount of data in a very small form factor. In fact, its storage capacity is only limited by the memory card. Of course, no one really needs to store that much data for a personal organizer.

Let's compare a typical yearly planner / paper organizer with a PDA phone. While the planner may be somewhat thinner, it is at least 4-6X larger than the PDA phone. You can easily pocket a PDA phone or even hang it onto your belt but a paper-based planner is too large for that. You will have to lug it along wherever you go or carry it in a bag / suitcase.

You also have to bring along a pen to scribble in your planner. The PDA phone usually comes with a small stylus that fits into the phone itself. So, it doesn't take up any space... and it isn't as easy to lose or "borrowed" by a friend, never to be seen again. So, the winner in this respect is crystal clear - the PDA phone has far superior portability than a planner.

Surface

While you may think that this is rather out of context, it is actually quite important as it involves the user’s experience using the organizer. For instance, many people would agree that there is just something really satisfying about putting pen to paper. It's indescribable but the feeling cannot be denied. So, is the silky-smooth but hard surface of the PDA phone's LCD a good replacement for paper?

Unfortunately, the same feeling is just not there. The smooth, hard surface offered no friction when you write and that just feels awkward. But on the positive side, the smooth and hard surface makes it easier to write quickly.

Years ago, some Palm PDA users recommended taping some masking tape over the dedicated handwriting area on their Palm PDAs to get that paper-like feel. I tried the method and although it feels closer to writing on paper, well, reality got the better of me and I removed it in the end. Somehow, faking it just didn't feel all that right. Besides, once you get used to writing on a smooth surface, you will want it to be smooth all the way.

In this respect, the paper organizer wins hands down. Even though you will get used to writing on a smooth LCD, there is just something ‘magical’ about writing on paper with a pen or pencil.