Need organizer not a super phone

[charlescmt]

Hello Android Users,
I am largely unfamiliar with Android and most techie stuff. Just a dumb user.
I already have a $100 Palm Pilot as organizer and a very basic $$40 cell phone whose service costs me $10/mo. with no contract. I am content with both but, nether palm or anyone else makes PDAs anymore. So, I need to replace the aging palm soon. I am not averse to a $150-$200 superphone but no provider seems to allow me to use one unless I subscribe to a cell phone plan that costs 5 times as much as what I pay now. That, I will not do!
So, I am toying with the idea of buying an unlocked cheaper mini sized android phone for use simply as an organizer with appointment calendar, address book and memo book - thats all I ever use or need from the PDA.
Thats my situation. Anyone have any alternate suggestions? Otherwise, a couple of questions. 1)Will android allow me to transfer my Palm data electronically into the Android? How specifically? I already have the palm data backed up on my Mac (OS 10.5.8) so I could transfer from there. 2) I assume Android device would allow me to continue to back up my data onto my Mac or a PC? 3) Will all this work if the phone is not connected to any cell service? Can I update the OS via my computer?
Thanks in advance for your help. Charlie in Denver

 

[Xopher]

It sounds like a BlackBerry might be a better option for you. You could have PIM access for calendar, contacts, todo lists, and such, plus the ability to use their Desktop Manager software to synchronize with Outlook (they have a Mac version). That can all be done without a data plan (of course, you would not have email or internet).

I'm not sure if there are a lot of ways to sync data directly from Android to Mac other than using Google, and that might require a data plan. Of course, you should be able to connect over wifi to do the same thing, so you might be able to get around the data plan.

I know, using a google account, your device can sync contacts, tasks and calendar entries. You can then add in a plug-in on your computer to sync as well. My SGS syncs with google pretty quickly, and I have Outlook set up to sync the calendar every 90 minutes.

 

[Kage_]

Charles,

One option you can look into is getting a used phone, unlocking it and then dropping your sim card in it. If you don't need data then you can turn that off before you put your sim in. This way you can keep your plan and still use the device on WiFi. I did this on my old iPhone. I had my Nexus One setup this way for four months before I opted to get a data plan. My wife's 3GS iPhone is setup the same way as my old iPhone, no data.

Another option would be to look at the iPod touch. It's basically a PDA with WiFi that's built around a music player.

 

[john_v]

Charles,

One option you can look into is getting a used phone, unlocking it and then dropping your sim card in it. If you don't need data then you can turn that off before you put your sim in. This way you can keep your plan and still use the device on WiFi. I did this on my old iPhone. I had my Nexus One setup this way for four months before I opted to get a data plan. My wife's 3GS iPhone is setup the same way as my old iPhone, no data.

Another option would be to look at the iPod touch. It's basically a PDA with WiFi that's built around a music player.

iPod touch is actually a very good option for someone looking to have a powerful "pda" with no data plan. I used one myself for a while, but had to have data. Would definitely be something to look into.

 

[mamawM]

i agree that the ipod touch might be a good solution for you and would certainly be easy enough to transfer to and from your mac. also most of the feature phones available will give you the functionality you need without the need for a data plan.

 

[Xopher]

I was also thinking that Samsung was supposed to be coming out with a non-phone Android device that looks similar to the Galaxy S series. It would be similar to being the iTouch for Android.