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András Puiz, a long-time Applelust contributor, Mac maniac, gadget lover and self-described computer geek (without most of the technical or social skills, though), bought a Handspring Treo 270 in late 2002. After months spent in intimacy with the device, András now feels ready to tell the world about it.
"I simply fell in love with the Treo. We're really happy together," he confides. "So much so that ever since I bought it, I've felt a compelling need to write about this relatively obscure, yet groundbreaking little gadget. I actually used the Treo to write about it. It's a great writing tool," he explains. Then he adds with a nervous grin, "But then, as in every relationship, we do have our differences. Sometimes it gets a bit nasty. Believe me, we have times you wouldn't want to be around."
András vows not to sugarcoat the truth. He will write about the good, the bad and the ugly of it -- which is a lot of writing to do:
"I was thinking about an Applelust article, or a mini-series. But after a few months, I've realized that the Treo has so much to write about that an entire column will be necessary," he adds, noting a slight irony: "So, I'm finally getting an Applelust column after three years -- and it has nothing to do with the Mac or Apple."
The Treo is the first PDA-like device András has ever owned. He, however, refuses to see that as a disadvantage in writing about it -- or relating to it:
"Many people approach the Handspring Treo as PDA users. They explore how the Treo stretches the boundaries of a Palm OS device, whose uses and limitations they are all too familiar with. They compare and contrast this revolutionary smartphone to the many PDAs they have previously owned, and they talk and think about the Treo in Palm terms."
Not András. Spoiled by Macs, iPods and Nokia cellphones, the Budapest, Hungary native won't accept mushrooming HotSync conduits, slow USB connections, or many other annoying Palm OS quirks as inevitable facts of life.
"If you're a newcomer to the Treo, you cannot be expected to know all the Palm traditions and terminology. You want a user-friendly, transparent system that won't impose its limitations and obnoxious solutions on you," he says, adding that his column will hopefully become a valuable resource for prospective Treo users and novices, who lack Palm OS experience.
"Basically I don't care too much about the OS. I expect things to 'just work.' If something sucks about the Treo, I won't care if it sucks even harder on other such devices, or if it was traditionally meant to suck. I will be here to call on the weak points."
Why all this harshness? Because András sees a lot of potential in the Treo.
"I think it's the first Palm OS device that makes any true sense. It integrates functionalities that were supposed to be integrated from day one. Everything else seems sorely lacking, and PDA sales figures show that."
Waxing poetic, András concludes: "But from the ashes of the dying PDA, a new breed of handheld gadget may emerge, as a phoenix. Something greater... Something more useful... Something inspired and inspiring. That has to be the Treo. There aren't any serious contestants, really."
András Puiz
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