If you have to think about bringing it with you...

I spent some time at the Harvard Cooperative Bookstore this weekend, and stumbled on a book called The Paris Review Book for Planes, Trains, Elevators, and Waiting Rooms. At first, I thought it was filled with short stories about these places and machines, but it was really a book filled with short stories for readers to pass the time. I don't know if this anthology would sell; even for readers who prefer pulp over electrons, the collection may seem too random. I carried a book with me at all times, even when I didn't have a PDA. Actually, I carry books with me now, although I have a decent sized library on my PDA. That a publisher would offer a book with shorts he feels would help someone pass the time suggests that the honchos think the book would sell as a novelty item (like the Bathroom Readers) or they have misunderstood who their market is. The high brow audience who reads the Paris Review likely have a great deal of books at hand; since the journal reeks of class and distinction, some may find that pretensious and avoid the collection. Can't win, I suppose.

But the fact that someone would publish a book geared for people who don't want to waste a moment encourages me about the eventual mainstream acceptance of e-books. Someone out there recognizes the usefulness or want to have something on hand, whenever the mood strikes. How best to translate this into a prostyletizing proselytizing tool?
If the Paris Review thinks it worthwhile for readers to have some reading material on hand, why don't we see more publishers push the same angle? Why shouldn't Border's or Barnes and Noble dispense e-books in eReader kiosks?

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The way in which a reader would use this book also matches some of my thinking about the value of PDAs. As soon as someone has to decide whether he should take a gadget/book/something with him, that object has lost value, if the point of that object was mobility. I don't think people realize that, no matter how useful a mobile gadget is to them, if they don't bring it it is worthless. A laptop or tablet PC will not be a handbag gadget. It sure as hell isn't a pocket gadget. One must always make a choice whether to bring the computer with him or not. Usually, I think that choice is affirmative only if he has decided he needed to work at a location other than home.

That the laptop is more powerful is besides the point; even if you do keep your appointment calendar, notes, and contacts on it, it takes too long to access the data. And it's too bulky. The lag time from when you decide to enter or find information is crucial. There's too much lag for a laptop. The work that requires a laptop's computational power is few, and most often, that work can only be performed in a "stable" environment, where one will camp for a bit of time.

But there is a second component to portability. If the first means that one can take the work with him, the second is akin to on demand information. Here's one example: I've been thinking about what to do in an emergency. If a hit-and-run accident occurs in front of me, how soon can I record the necessary information for the police? Something as simple as license plates, car make and color, and location would be useful. I've decided that the fastest I can input information is through the voice memo ability of my cell phone. I flip it open, hit a button, and off I go. Of course, that doesn't guarantee I'll have the presence of mind to do it. But at least I know I don't have to fumble around. My Zod (and formerly the iPaq 2210) vexes me; both these machines took too long to let me get around to doing what I need. On looking back, I think Slap! is a really useful approach. I've come around to Jeff's view that there needs to be a dedicated "hodge-podge" recording program. However, text entry remains slow; I have to check if my Fitaly taps or my Graffiti writing produced the letters I want. The runner-up to the phone in terms of speed and fidelity of information is a pen and pad.

What is germane to this discussion is that I have my phone with me, and not a pad of paper; if I had to decide everyday whether it's worth it for me to bring it, then the phone wouldn't work as a "mobile" phone. Since I don't bring pen and paper with me, it's a non-issue whether that works as a better note taker or not. If I had to decide if my Zodiac goes in my pant pocket, then it probably isn't truly useful as an on-demand information entry/retrieval device. I think with a laptop, it will always be the case that it has a large lag period. The PDA allows for micro-time segments of usage.