Comparison between Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) and Paper Analog Device (PAD)

As promised in my list comment, I said I would post a comparison between two high tech gadgets, namely, the Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) and a Paper Analog Device (PAD).

Let the attribute comparison begin...

Boot time
PDA - Much less than a laptop but certainly not instantaneous.
PAD - About 2 blinks of the eye. Maybe a 3rd blink to access a specific page.

Battery Life
PDA - Varies but can be recharged daily with docking station.
PAD - Indefinite life; requires minimal human power to flip pages.

Stylus Replacement
PDA - Replacement cost is about $10 for a 3-pack at most office superstores, that is, provided they carry your style.
PAD - Compatible with all Pens, Pencils, Crayons or other writing devices. PAD accommodates any color writing device. Writing devices widely available from stores, junk drawers, craft boxes, children, etc. May use lipliner in a pinch.

Cost to Replace Device
PDA - $199 and up.
PDA - About $1

Likelihood of Return
PDA - If you lose your PDA, chances are you won’t see it again.
PAD - No transferable value to others if lost – if lose your PAD it will probably be returned especially if you write your phone number in the inside front cover.

Size
PDA - Handheld but still a bit big for your shirt pocket.
PAD - Fits in hand and can easily be concealed in your shirt pocket.

Ability to Double as a Phone
PDA - Yes, increasingly these devices are phone capable.
PAD - Not very useful as a phone but you can definitely throw it at somebody to get their attention.

Ability to Annoy Others
PDA - Very likely especially with audio or phone ringer turned up in meeting, restaurants, or other public places.
PAD - Doesn’t ring or have audio output but pages may make a crinkling sounds when flipped rapidly which could irritate dogs or those with senstive hearing.

Ability to Survive an Electromagnetic Pulse
PDA - Very unlikely since an EMP will wipe out all elecronic devices.
PAD - Will easily survive an EMP since it contains no electronic components.

Ability to Play Music
PDA - Many PDAs now can play music files, some even have FM tuners.
PAD - Unable to play music files but useful for writing down song lyrics or music that your interested in purchasing. You can also make a modified thumb kazoo or you can run the pages rapidly across your thumb. The latter has the advantage that you can create an animation to accompany the sound - think of this as a poor man's music video. It is worth rementioning that this music video would survive an EMP.

I currently carry a

Palm Treo 650 as my PDA phone and a Square Deal Marble Memo Book as my PAD.

Here are a couple of tips if you use a Paper Analog Device (PAD).
PAD tip #1: Shrink a 1 page calendar and paste it to the 1st page of your PAD.
PAD tip #2: Date each page and keep your daily todo list there. Update it throughout the day.
PAD tip #3: If you get a great idea or inspiration write it down immediately in your PAD.